Highlights from President Biden’s Budget Proposal

After a week’s delay, President Biden shared his budget proposal for fiscal year 2022 with Congress; see an infographic breaking it down here. While largely a symbolic document, the President’s “skinny budget” gives key insights into the administration’s priorities for the year. Overall, the President’s request would increase funding for domestic programs by 16 percent. ANCOR notes the following provisions of interest for the convenience of our membership:

• A 23.5-percent increase in funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, including more funding for the Administration for Community Living. The proposal “provides offer relief to caregivers and families, including $551 million for home and community-based services, doubles funding for the Lifespan Respite Care program, increases resources for meal programs for older Americans, and expands services for individuals with disabilities” (page 13).

• The proposed HHS budget would also increase funding for a stockpile of medical and other key supplies. Per Politico Pro, it includes “$905 million in spending on the National Strategic Stockpile, to replenish medical supplies and continue a restructuring that began during the health crisis. The stockpile was designed for bioterror threats in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks but ran out of critical supplies in the early weeks of the pandemic.”

• A 15-percent increase in funding for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This includes funding for housing vouchers. While the proposal does not explicitly mention disability housing needs, HUD does offer housing vouchers specifically meant to increase the supply of accessible housing.

• A 14-percent increase in funding for the Department of Labor, including mentions of strengthening registered apprenticeship and unemployment insurance programs.

Additional read: We encourage our members to read this article by ASAE, which gives more details on the President’s tax reform proposals that would help pay for the President’s major initiatives and the FY2022 budget.