On May 5, President Donald Trump signed compromise legislation (the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017) funding the federal government through the end of fiscal year (FY) 2017. The measure, P.L. 115-31, provides $152 million for ARC, a $6 million increase from the Commission’s FY 2016 funding level. The total figure includes:

• $70 million for ARC’s base program;
• $50 million for the POWER Initiative to help communities that have been adversely impacted by changes in the coal industry and power sector;
• $10 million to continue a program of high-speed broadband deployment in economically distressed counties in Central Appalachia that have been most negatively impacted by the downturn in the coal industry;
• $16 million for a program of industrial site and workforce development in Southern and South Central Appalachia focused primarily on the automotive supply sector and the aviation sector, with up to $13.5 million of that amount provided for activities in Southern Appalachia; and
• $6 million for a program of basic infrastructure improvements in economically distressed counties in Central Appalachia.

The legislation was passed by the U.S. Senate on May 4 and by the House of Representatives on May 3.