Bills
| 3.23.22

Yes, You'll Keep Getting Mail on Saturdays: The Financial Services and General Government Bill for FY '15 (H.R. 5016)

Do you support or oppose this bill?

What is H.R. 5016?

(Updated July 19, 2017)

This annual spending bill pays the President, judges, and funds Washington, D.C., in addition to providing funding for the Treasury Department, the Small Business Administration, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, among others. (A complete list may be found below.) 


The bill totals $21.3 billion in funding for these agencies, which is $566 million below the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $2.3 billion below the President’s request for these programs.

The IRS is the big loser here, having funds slashed by more than $340 million, while the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence gets an $18 million bump. Casualties of the bill include the Christopher Columbus Foundation, the Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, and the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation. Federal funds for decriminalizing pot are prohibited, and mail on Saturdays is set to continue, despite the fact that the USPS hemorrhaged nearly 2 billion dollars last quarter alone. 

Argument in favor

Cuts spending by more than $500 million AND you still get mail on Saturdays!

Argument opposed

Does Congress slashing the IRS budget mean the IRS is going to take it out on us?

Impact

The bill sets spending levels for Fiscal Year 2015 for a number of different federal agencies.

Cost of H.R. 5016

Additional Info

Media:


The full committee report may be found here. 

Of Note:

The following amendments to the bill were adopted by the full committee today:

Rep. Crenshaw – The manager’s amendment makes technical and non-controversial changes to the bill and report, and includes a funding prohibition on destroying IRS records in contravention of the Federal Records Act. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote.

Rep. Serrano/Rep. Latham – The amendment adds a provision to the bill requiring the postal service to deliver mail six days a week. The amendments adopted on a voice vote. 

Rep. Yoder – The amendment prohibits funding in the bill to require the disclosure of private email information by internet service providers without a criminal warrant. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote. 

Rep. Harris – The amendment prohibits the District of Columbia from using local funds for the decriminalization of marijuana. The amendment was adopted on a vote of 28-21. 

Rep. Yoder – The amendment would add language to the bill to alter the Dodd Frank law in order to protect safe swap activities under banks and their regulators, while allowing them to “push-out” riskier swap activities. The amendment was adopted on a voice vote. 

Rep. Harris – The amendment prohibits funding for abortions through OPM-negotiated “multi-state qualified health plans” offered under Obamacare. The amendment was adopted on a vote of 29-21.

Agencies Funded:

  • Department of the Treasury 
  • Executive Office of the President and Funds Appropriated to the President 
  • The Judiciary 
  • District of Columbia 
  • Administrative Conference of the United States 
  • Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection 
  • Consumer Product Safety Commission 
  • Election Assistance Commission 
  • Federal Communications Commission 
  • Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 
  • Federal Election Commission 
  • Federal Labor Relations Authority
  • Federal Trade Commission  
  • General Services Administration  
  • Merit Systems Protection Board
  • National Archives and Records Administration 
  • National Credit Union Administration 
  • Office of Government Ethics
  • Office of Personnel Management 
  • Office of Special Counsel 
  • Postal Regulatory Commission 
  • Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board 
  • Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board 
  • Securities and Exchange Commission 
  • Selective Service System 
  • Small Business Administration 
  • United States Postal Service 
  • United States Tax Court