News

Fiscal Year 2023 President’s Budget Request Released

Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC – April 13, 2022

On March 28, 2022, President Biden released his budget proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2023 which included $1.6 trillion in discretionary spending, close to a 6 percent increase compared to the FY 2022 enacted level.  This would include $813 billion towards defense spending and $769 billion for non-defense spending.  When comparing overall FY 2022 enacted defense numbers to FY 2023 requested levels, there is a proposed increase of around $83 billion, or 11.4 percent. [RG1] [HP2] Overall, the proposed budget would increase funding for Administration priorities in research and development, technology, climate and environment, manufacturing, education, and healthcare programs.  A notable exception to this is a $2.4 billion proposed cut compared to the FY 2022 enacted levels in basic, applied, and advanced technology development accounts (6.1-6.3) for DOD’s Science and Technology programs.  It is ultimately up to Congress to modify, embrace, or fund these proposals, but despite the budget’s impending changes, the President’s Budget Request (PBR) is an indication of the priorities and initiatives of the Administration and the President’s political party.

In FY 2023 many of the increases for science, research and development, climate and environment, education, and workforce development programs are more modest than those proposed in the FY 2022 President’s budget request.  Requests in the PBR that are of interest to HFES can be found below.

  • The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requested $527 million, an increase of $71 million over FY 2022 enacted levels.  The funding would be used to support COVID-19 research and diagnostic safety research.  As well as for the development of an all-payer claims database and a system to evaluate the outcome of telehealth delivery and support.
  • The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), within HHS, requested $345 million, the same amount as FY 2022.
  • The Department of Education (ED) under President Biden’s request is slated to receive $88.3 billion in discretionary program funds.  This is an increase of 14.5% in comparison to FY 2022.  
  • The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requested approximately $56.7 billion dollars in discretionary funding, a decrease of $2.4 billion compared to the FY 22 Omnibus.
  • The National Science Foundation (NSF) has been proposed to receive top-line funding of $10.49 billion dollars, an increase of $1.65 billion from FY 2022.
  • The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been proposed to receive $25.9 billion dollars. This is a $1.93 billion dollars or an 8 percent increase from the FY22 enacted level.
  • The National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) is proposed to receive $1.5 billion, which is $462.7 million dollars or a 44.7 percent increase from the enacted level in FY 22.  The request would provide funding for the development of international standards and the development of modern technologies.  This boost would include an increase in funding for Manufacturing USA Institutes and the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).
  • The Department of Defense (DOD) has been proposed to receive $130.1 billion dollars for Research, Development, Technology, and Evaluation (RDT&E).  This request is about 9.1 percent above the FY 22 enacted level, and about 16.2 percent above the FY 2022 request.  While this is an overall increase, as previously mentioned, 6.1-6.3 accounts would be cut in favor of ore deliverables (6.4 and above) which is consistent with the Biden Administration’s push to accelerate technologies to the warfighter.

The President’s Budget Request was not released until late March 2022, meaning it is unlikely that Congress will finalize FY 2023 appropriations before the September 30th deadline.  The timeline will be further complicated by the midterm election in the fall and Congress’s ongoing legislative challenges, likely causing Congress to resort to a continuing resolution to extend the budget and avoid a government shutdown. 

Sources and Additional Information: 

  • A comprehensive analysis of the FY 2023 President’s Budget Request can be found here.