President Bush Requests $404 Million in FY 2009 for the National Archives
Press Release · Monday, February 4, 2008

Washington, DC…President George W. Bush has sent to Congress a proposed Fiscal Year 2009 budget for the Federal Government that provides $404,002,000 for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein stated:  “I am pleased that the President has called for increases in resources that will allow us to continue programs that will enable us to meet many of our strategic goals as the nation's record keeper. Those goals include, above all, our work to provide to the public continuing access, far into the future, to the electronic and traditional records of our government.”

Under the President’s FY 2009 request, NARA would receive $327,783,000 for operating expenses, an increase of $10,783,000 over the FY 2008 appropriation. This includes funds for our base programs, staff and resources for the George W. Bush Presidential Library project, staff to support the processing of presidential records, and an additional criminal investigator for the agency’s Inspector General’s office.

The Electronic Records Archives (ERA) program, a key NARA strategic goal aimed at providing a means to preserve and make accessible electronic records far into the future, is funded in the FY 2009 request at $67,008,000, which is $8,980,000 over the FY 2008 appropriated level. This higher funding level for ERA will allow NARA to develop capability and capacity for public access and long-term preservation of electronic records.

For FY 2009, the President has declined to seek funding for grants for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC), NARA’s grant-making activity.

For repairs and restoration to facilities owned by NARA, such as the National Archives at College Park, the National Archives Building in downtown Washington, and the Presidential libraries, the President’s FY 2009 budget requests $9,211,000 in base funding.

# # #

For more information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

08-61

Top of Page