Federal budget signed – Congress Finishes Legislative Cake

(ASCB, March 16, 2022) — The budget was supposed to be completed by last October 1, when the 2022 fiscal year officially began. But when it comes to excuses for not completing work, Congress is as expert at making excuses as it is at actually crafting a trillion-plus federal budget.

Much of the month’s long delay centered on whether the defense or domestic portions of the federal budget should get more money. As is often the case in Congress these days, it took combining multiple pieces of legislation to make the final package of bills something impossible to oppose. Think of it as a legislative layer cake, with some layers you like and others you don’t.

The news for the NIH is good. The NIH budget will be increased to $45 billion, which is 5.3% or $2.25 billion more than the budget last year and represents a 45% increase in the NIH budget over the last seven years.

The final budget provides the health version of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), called ARPA-H, with $1 billion in funding and places the new agency under the direction of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. However, it also gives the Secretary the ability to transfer the new agency to any other place within HHS, including NIH, 30 days after the budget becomes law, as long as the Secretary gives Congress 15 days’ notice.

NSF will see a 4.17% or $354 million increase in its budget. Some were expecting a larger increase in the NSF budget to help fund proposals to add an additional directorate to the NSF. The NSF budget in its current form does not provide specific funding for the new directorate (see story below), but the bill does endorse its creation. There may still be additional funding coming the NSF’s way since Congress is considering specific legislation to create the directorate.