Congress Finally Agrees on FY 2022 Funding, Mixed Bag for Science

Nearly six months into the new fiscal year, Congress has finally completed its work on the fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations bills, securing funding for federal departments, agencies, and programs through September 30, 2022. After months of stalemate and rocky negotiations, House and Senate leaders agreed to an overall FY 2022 framework that includes roughly equal increases to defense and non-defense funding, delivering a major win to Republicans who were pushing for parity throughout the process. The eleventh hour increase in defense spending in the final package resulted in smaller-than-expected increases to nearly all agencies and programs important to the science community. In just about every instance, the final appropriation for federal science agencies came in less than the amounts originally proposed by the Biden Administration and in earlier versions of the House and Senate bills. Further, a select few agencies will see cuts in FY 2022 despite being slated for increases in the House and Senate bills advanced last year. You can read our full analysis of FY 2022 funding here.

The final omnibus package contains all 12 annual appropriations bills as well as emergency funding for Ukraine. It does not include funding for additional COVID-19 relief, which was pulled at the last minute. Lawmakers continue their negotiations on pandemic relief funding. Passage of the omnibus package officially closes the book on FY 2022 appropriations. Attention will now turn to the FY 2023 process, which is already behind schedule given that the White House has yet to send its budget request to Congress. This being an election year further complicates the outlook for consideration of the FY 2023 appropriations bills.

We are in store for a busy spring as lawmakers attempt to make as much progress as possible on FY 2023 before all attention turns to the midterm elections beginning this summer. Stay tuned to COSSA’s coverage for all the details.