President Biden’s Budget Proposal Delayed

We remind advocates that while deciding on the shape and size of the federal budget is Congress’ responsibility, the President’s budget proposal gives key insights into the administration’s priorities for the year. As reported by Politico Pro:

“President Joe Biden’s budget request has been delayed after administration officials expected to debut the proposal by the end of this week.

Office of Management and Budget spokesperson Rob Friedlander confirmed that the proposal would not come Friday. ‘We’re planning to release the discretionary request soon,’ he said in a statement, declining to comment on whether the proposal will be sent to Congress next week.

Key context: The holdup comes as Democrats are eager to provide significant funding increases for non-defense programs, while they remain divided over the Pentagon’s budget. POLITICO reported earlier this month that Biden is expected to keep his defense spending request essentially flat.

What to expect: The administration only plans to release its discretionary funding request, allowing lawmakers to get started on annual spending bills for the upcoming fiscal year. As part of the request, the White House plans to release a breakdown of proposed funding levels for each federal agency, while outlining certain investments in areas like clean energy, education, public health and elevating historically disadvantaged communities.

OMB is expected to unveil a more complete budget later this spring, including proposals for mandatory spending and tax reform for fiscal 2022, which begins on Oct. 1.”