https://crsreports.congress.gov
January 8, 2020
FY2020 Military Construction Appropriations: An Overview of
P.L. 116-94 (Division F)
On December 20, 2019, President Donald Trump signed the
Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (H.R. 1865;
P.L. 116-94)—a package of multiple appropriations acts
known as a minibus—which included the Military
Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2020 (Division F).
Division F of P.L. 116-94 provides $18.2 billion in
discretionary budget authority for Department of Defense
(DOD) military construction (MILCON) and family
housing programs, an increase of $5.4 billion (42%) from
the FY2019 enacted level, and $2.9 billion (14%) less than
the President’s budget request. See Table 1 and, for a
historical funding perspective, Figure 1.
The total includes the following:
$11.3 billion in DOD funding for MILCON and family
housing programs in Title I as part of the department’s
regular, or base, budget—i.e., the portion of the budget
generally used to man, train, and equip the force;
$644.5 million in DOD funding designated for Overseas
Contingency Operations/Global War on Terrorism
(OCO/GWOT) in Title IV. Most of this funding ($544.7
million) is for MILCON projects related to the European
Deterrence Initiative (EDI), an effort DOD began in
2014 to support NATO allies in Central and Eastern
Europe after the Russian military intervention in
Ukraine; and
$6.2 billion in DOD funding designated as emergency
requirements in Title V for natural disaster relief. This
funding is for MILCON projects intended to replace or
rebuild infrastructure damaged by Hurricanes Florence
and Michael, flooding and earthquakes.
Border Barrier Funding Issues
The act did not include any of the $7.2 billion in U.S. Army
MILCON emergency funding requested by the Trump
Administration to build barriers along the U.S. border with
Mexico. The Administration requested $3.6 billion to build
new border barriers in FY2020 and $3.6 billion to
replenish, or backfill, funding reallocated for such purposes
in FY2019. The act also did not include language from the
House version of the bill (Division D of H.R. 3055) that
would have prohibited the Administration’s use of FY2020
or prior-year MILCON funding to design, construct, or
carry out projects along the border. In a June 18, 2019,
Statement of Administration Policy, the White House
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) referenced the
House language as potential grounds for a presidential veto.
Table 1. FY2020 Military Construction and Family Housing Appropriations
(in billions of dollars)
Sources: Table prepared by CRS based on the Joint Explanatory Statement (JES) accompanying P.L. 116-94 and H.Rept. 116-63, the House
Appropriations Committee report accompanying H.R. 2745, which was incorporated into H.R. 3055.
Notes: Figures rounded to the nearest tenth. Totals may not sum due to rounding. The Senate Appropriations Committee did not report a
version of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill, 2020.
a. Figures in this column are based on the Comparative Statement of New Budget Authority in H.Rept. 116-63.
b. Amount reflects figure in JES accompanying P.L. 116-94. Title IV included $644.5 million for OCO military construction projects and $9.2
billion for emergency military construction projects. In DOD budget documentation, the Administration requested $9.2 billion in
emergency funding to build border barriers, backfill funding reallocated in FY2019 to build border barriers, and rebuild facilities damaged
by Hurricanes Florence and Michael.
Amount reflects military construction funding in Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, 2019 (P.L. 116-20).
