U.S. Office of Management and Budget Releases President’s FY 2022 Budget

On May 28, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released President Biden’s fiscal year 2022 budget. The budget proposes historic increases in funding for R&D across a range of scientific agencies—including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Education (U.S. ED), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and others.

The president’s FY 2022 budget request to Congress includes $10.2 billion for the NSF; $102.8 billion for the U.S. ED, including $737 million for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES); $131.8 billion for the HHS; and $35.3 billion for the DOJ. Some key investment areas are as follows:

The budget reinvests in education, research, public health, and other foundations of the country’s strength as well as the two historic plans the President has already put forward — the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan.

For more information, please see FY 2022 President’s Budget.

NSF

• Enhance Fundamental Research and Development. $9.43 billion, an increase of $1.55 billion above the 2021 enacted level will support research across the spectrum of STEM. With this additional funding, NSF will strengthen fundamental research at speed and scale.

• Strengthen U.S. Leadership in Emerging Technologies. Includes the establishment of a new directorate for technology, innovation, and partnerships within NSF to help translate research into practical applications. The directorate will work with programs across NSF and with other federal and non-federal entities to expedite technology development in emerging areas.

• Advances Equity in Science and Engineering. +$100 million, an increase of about 50%, in funding to increase participation in science and engineering of individuals from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in these fields. Funding will support curriculum design, research on successful recruitment and retention methods, development of outreach or mentorship programs, fellowships, and building science and engineering research and education capacity at historically black colleges and universities, and other minority-serving institutions.

• Advances Climate Science and Sustainability Research. $1.2 billion for climate and clean energy-related research will fund a broad portfolio of research related to climate science and clean energy, including social, behavioral, and economic research on human responses to climate change.

• Continues Construction of Forefront Research Infrastructure.Invests in the continued construction of major NSF research facilities, including funding for the construction and procurement of smaller research facilities and equipment across the nation.

For more information on the NSF budget, please visit: https://beta.nsf.gov/budget

U.S. ED

Specifically, the budget states that the increases would allow additional investments in research on understanding and mitigating the effects of learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Make Historic Investments in High Poverty Schools.The budget proposes a historic $36.5 billion investment in grants for Title I schools, a $20 billion increase from the 2021 enacted level. This investment would provide historically under-resourced schools with the funding needed to deliver a high-quality education, as well as meaningful incentives for states to examine and address inequities in school funding systems.

• Prioritize the Physical and Mental Well-Being of Students.The budget provides $1 billion, in addition to the resources in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, to increase the number of counselors, school psychologists, nurses, and social workers in schools.

• In addition, it provides $443 million for Full Service Community Schools, which play a critical role in providing comprehensive wrap-around services to students and their families, from afterschool, to adult education opportunities, and health and nutrition services.

• Boost Support for Children with Disabilities.The budget includes $16 billion, a historic increase of $2.7 billion over the 2021 enacted level, for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to support special education and related services for more than 7.6 million Pre-K through 12 students.

• The budget also provides $732 million for early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities, funding services that have a proven record of improving academic and developmental outcomes. The $250 million increase would be paired with reforms to expand access to these services for underserved children, including children of color and children from low-income families.

 

U.S. ED

IES

FY 2022 Budget Request (in millions)

Research, Development, and Dissemination	$267.9
Regional Educational Laboratories	$57.0
Statistics	$111.5
Assessment	$187.8
Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems	$33.5
Special Education Studies and Evaluations	$21.3
Research in Special Education	$58.5

For more information about the U.S. ED budget, please visit: https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget22/index.html

 

HHS

• Investing in Children’s Futures. Both the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan invest in school and child care infrastructure and workforce training and invest $200 billion in a national partnership with states to offer free, high-quality, accessible, and inclusive preschool to all three- and four-year-olds, benefitting 5 million children. The budget also invests $250 billion over 10 years to make child care affordable. The budget also provides $19.8 billion in discretionary funding for the department’s early care and education programs in the Administration for Children and Families, $2.8 billion over the 2021 enacted level. This includes $11.9 billion for Head Start.

• Combating Mental Health and Substance Use Crises. This need is especially urgent given that both crises have accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The budget addresses these crises through investments in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In a historic investment, the budget provides $1.6 billion to the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant to respond to the systemic strain on the country’s mental health care system—more than double the 2021 level. To address the undeniable connection between the criminal justice system and mental health, the discretionary request will also invest in programs for people involved in the criminal justice system. HHS will also focus on the behavioral impact of COVID-19, including on children.

For more information about the HHS budget, please visit: https://www.hhs.gov/about/budget/fy2022/index.html

 

DOJ

• $2.1 billion, an increase of $184.3 million, to combat gun violence while focusing on programs that address both gun safety and violent crime.
• $177.2 million over the 2021 appropriation to reinvigorate Federal civil rights efforts, including to re-establish and expand the Office for Access to Justice and to support the Community Relations Service with conciliators in local communities.
• $1.0 billion, an increase of $486.5 million, to address gender-based violence through the Office on Violence Against Women, nearly twice the FY 2021 investment in this effort.
• $1.6 billion, an increase of $669.3 million, to implement further reforms to the criminal justice system and continue critical investment in implementation of the First Step Act of 2018.
• $1.1 billion, an increase of $150.7 million, to augment Cyber Investigations and Cyber Security.

For more information about the DOJ budget, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-fiscal-year-2022-funding-request