Established by Congress as a branch of the Department of the Interior in 1879, the USGS has a truly national mission that extends beyond the boundaries of the nation’s public lands to encompass the homes of all citizens through natural hazards monitoring, drinking-water studies, biological and geological resource assessments, and other activities. The USGS has nearly 400 offices, located across the nation in every state. To aid in its interdisciplinary investigations, the USGS works with over 2,000 federal, state, local, and private agencies..."
The USGS budget has declined in real dollars for seven consecutive years and it would decline for a eighth year if the FY 2009 budget request is enacted. Real funding for the USGS is at its lowest level since 1996, as can be seen in the accompanying chart. The decline in funding for the USGS would have been even greater if Congress had not repeatedly restored proposed budget cuts."
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