Funding for Peace Corps for FY2018: It’s complicated!

The fiscal year for the federal government runs from October 1 from one year to September 30 of the next year. Each year, Congress must approve a budget to fund the federal government for the fiscal year beginning October 1. The President proposes a budget and sends it to the House of Representatives.  The House is free to disregard it, if it wishes. Congress has the sole authority to fund the federal government. The Budget must begin in the House of Representatives. The Senate will also compose a version of a budget. When the two Houses are not in agreement on the budget, then there is a negotiation to arrive at a final budget. The final version goes to the President for his signature.

When the two Houses of Congress cannot reach a compromise bill by September 30, then Congress may pass a Continuing Resolution. A Continuing Resolution, or CR, will continue government funding at the previous year’s level, until a given date, when it is presumed that a new budget will be passed. (The CR may contain some minor changes.)

For FY 2017, Peace Corps was funded for $410. The Congress was unable to pass a new budget for FY2018. Congress passed a Continuing Resolution.  Therefore, Peace Corps will continue to be funded at the rate of $410, until December when the current CR expires.

For the new budget, the President proposed cutting the Peace Corps budget to $398. The House of Representatives passed a budget funding the Peace Corps at this new rate of $398. The Senate Appropriates Committee, however, recommended that Peace Corps continue to be funded at the rate of $410.  Now, budget negotiations will decide the final funding for Peace Corps.

The National Peace Corps Association is urging RPCVs to contact their Congressional delegation and urge the $410 funding for Peace Corps.  Read their advocacy statement and see how to act:

https://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/cpages/protectpeacecorps