Nearly halfway through the fiscal year, Congress is on the verge of completing legislation providing $1.5 trillion of discretionary funding for FY22, with the House passing (in two votes of 361-69 and 260-171) the omnibus bill late Wednesday and the Senate preparing for approval either Friday or this weekend. The bipartisan agreement consists of all 12 FY22 spending bills and supplemental funding to support Ukraine. With government funding scheduled to expire on March 11, Congress may also pass, if needed, a four-day continuing resolution to give the Senate additional time to complete the omnibus legislation and avoid a federal shutdown. With the successful conclusion of the FY22 process, Congress and the Administration will turn their attention to the FY23 process, the competitiveness legislation, and the latent effort to revive a narrow version of the Build Back Better Act.... Read more about Federal Update: Congress Moves on Final FY22 Appropriations

On November 15, President Biden signed into law the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which will invest more than $1.2 trillion in roads, bridges, broadband, and related projects over five years, including $550 billion in new spending. Of possible interest to universities, this package includes new spending for climate and energy at the Department of Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other agencies. There are also new funding lines in transportation and other infrastructure in this bill. Additional energy and climate measures, and other investments in research and education, are included in the Build Back Better reconciliation package, which is pending in the Senate.... Read more about Potential Programs of Interest to Higher Education in The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Even as Congress passed legislation to avoid a government shutdown today, the White House and Democratic Leadership are continuing efforts to carve a path forward, negotiating entrenched intraparty disagreements, to move the bipartisan infrastructure and reciliation packages that make up the bulk of President Biden’s domestic agenda. This effort is made more difficult by their thin majorities in the House and the Senate and unanimous opposition of Republicans to many of the Democrats’ legislative priorities. That said,...

This morning, the Senate capped off an unusually long summer session with passage (50-49) of a $3.5 trillion FY22 budget resolution, on the heels of this week’s earlier vote (69-30) on the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package, two of President Biden’s top domestic priorities. While both measures must still be considered by the House, their passage in the Senate sets up a packed congressional agenda for the fall, including a FY22 reconciliation bill (made possible by enactment of the budget resolution) to include tax, entitlement, and other mandatory spending, the FY22 funding bills, the annual Defense authorization, and legislation to address the federal debt-limit. With slim Democratic majorities in the House and Senate and significant ideological divides within the party, navigating a successful path forward will prove a difficult test for Congress and the White House.... Read more about Federal Update: Congress Caps Long Summer with Progress on Infrastructure, FY22

In the first budget request of his presidency, President Joe Biden is proposing historic increases in non-defense discretionary funding. April’s preview of the discretionary spending proposal provided topline information – $1.52 trillion total, with $769 billion for non-defense (+16 percent) and $753 billion for defense (+1.7 percent) – but few details. The full budget request provides details on the Biden Administration’s priorities for education, health, climate, and social programs as part of the annual spending process, which would be complemented by the President’s ambitious American Jobs and Families Plans.... Read more about Federal Update: President Biden Releases Detailed FY22 Budget Request

In March, Congress enacted President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, building on earlier emergency COVID funding provided in the CARES Act and 2020 year-end spending package. As those relief funds are being disbursed, the Administration has pivoted to an ambitious infrastructure plan and Fiscal Year 2022 federal funding.... Read more about President Biden Releases Infrastructure Plan and Previews FY22