Fiscal Year 2024 President’s Budget Request Released

Lewis-Burke Associates, LLC – March 29, 2023

On March 9, 2023, President Biden released his budget proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2024 which included $1.9 trillion in discretionary spending, close to a 10 percent increase compared to the FY 2023 enacted level.  This would include $842 billion towards defense spending and $1.02 trillion for non-defense.  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 $4.2 billion (or nearly 20 percent) proposed cut in DOD’s Science and Technology programs for the basic, applied, and advanced technology development accounts (6.1-6.3), as the administration focuses on prioritizing the prototyping and deployment of new technologies.  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 both the Biden Administration and the Democratic Party at-large.

In FY 2024, 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 2023 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 $447.5 million, an increase of $74 million over FY 2023 enacted levels.  The funding would be used to support COVID-19 research (particularly in Long COVID care delivery), diagnostic safety research, as well as continuing 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 $363 million, the same amount as FY 2023 enacted, but $18 million above FY 2023 Requested.
• The Department of Education (ED) under President Biden’s request is slated to receive $90 billion in discretionary program funds.  This is an increase of 13.6% in comparison to FY 2023. 
• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requested approximately $60.4 billion dollars in discretionary funding, a decrease of $658 million compared to the FY 23 Omnibus.
• The National Science Foundation (NSF) has been proposed to receive top-line funding of $11.3 billion dollars, an increase of $1.78 billion from FY 2023.  The NSF request would provide funding to continue growth of the new Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP), which would fund activities in areas such as emerging technologies.
• The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been proposed to receive $27.18 billion dollars. This is a $1.8 billion or an 7.1 percent increase from the FY 2023 enacted level.
• The National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) is proposed to receive $1.63 billion, essentially flat when compared with the FY 2023 enacted levels. The budget request would increase funding for research in critical and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, quantum information science, advanced communications, and biotechnologies. NIST would also prioritize strengthening the nation’s supply chain and domestic manufacturing capabilities. The request would also include large increases in funding for Manufacturing USA Institutes and the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP).
• The Department of Defense (DOD) has been proposed to receive a record $145 billion for Research, Development, Technology, and Evaluation (RDT&E).  This request is about 3.7 percent above the FY 2023 enacted level, and about 10.3 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 more deliverables (6.4 and above) which is consistent with the Biden Administration’s push to accelerate technologies to the warfighter.

With this year’s President’s Budget Request coming at a time of divided congress, economic worries, increasing polarization, and a fight over the debt ceiling, it is very likely that no budget is agreed to before the end of the fiscal year. This could lead to a possible year-long continuing resolution (CR), keeping funding at FY 2023 levels, or even a government shutdown.

Sources and Additional Information: 

• A comprehensive analysis of the FY 2024 President’s Budget Request can be found here.