FY2022 Appropriations: Bipartisan Framework Made to Fund Government

This week, the House of Representatives passed another Continuing Resolution (CR) that funds the government through March 11 at fiscal year 2021 levels. The Senate has yet to consider this latest CR. A section-by-section summary can be found here. The full text of the legislation is here. This is the third CR that has funded the federal government since September 30, 2021.

House and Senate Appropriations Chairs Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) also announced this week that a bipartisan, bicameral framework has been agreed upon for fiscal year 2022 appropriations. This framework comes after weeks of negotiations between the parties about fiscal year 2022 funding levels for defense and non-defense discretionary programs.

Chairwoman DeLauro said, “I am pleased that we have reached agreement on a framework, which will allow our subcommittees to get to work finalizing an omnibus. We will now proceed with great intensity to enact legislation making transformative investments to create good-paying American jobs, grow opportunity for the middle class, support the vulnerable who work hard, and protect our national security.”

Chairman Leahy said “With this agreement we will be able to invest in our communities and provide increases for health care, education, our national security, and invest in the middle class, among other priorities. In any successful negotiation, both sides have to compromise, and this agreement is no different. But I believe we reached a strong, bipartisan agreement that will allow us to make significant investments in the American people and our communities. I look forward to crafting a bill that will receive strong support in both Chambers in the coming weeks.”

GOP Letter to Office of Management and Budget Regarding President’s FY23 Budget Request

On February 7, Republican members of the House Budget Committee sent a letter to the Office of Management and Budget regarding the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Request. In the letter, House Budget Committee Members ask how the President would implement policies and promises made over the past year. This includes whether the FY 2023 budget includes funding for the U.S. Department of Education to forgive all student loans.

The letter states, “It is imperative that the Biden Administration provide answers to the above questions either in advance of or in the process of presenting President Biden’s FY 2023 budget. The Administration’s budget request to Congress must not ignore the present challenges facing the country, and the American people would be best served by a budget request from the President that speaks to the concerns working families are facing each and every day.”

The Biden Administration is expected to release the FY 2023 budget in March 2022, following the State of the Union Address.

Application Date Change for New Awards for Supplemental Support Under the American Rescue Plan

Last week, the Department of Education issued a notice announcing the availability of funds and the application deadline for new grants to institutions of higher education (IHE) under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) and the Supplemental Support under the American Rescue Plan (SSARP) program. The deadline for transmittal of applications was initially April 4, 2022. A recent federal register notice changes the application deadline to March 7, 2022.

NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

The National Institutes of Health issued a notice requesting comments on their strategic plan for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. NIH invites input from stakeholders throughout the scientific research, advocacy, and clinical practice communities, as well as the public, regarding the proposed framework for the NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for DEIA.

The NIH-Wide Strategic Plan for DEIA Framework includes three objectives:

• Implement Organizational Practices to Center and Prioritize DEIA in the Workforce
• Grow and Sustain DEIA through Structural and Cultural Change
• Advance DEIA Through Research

NIH must receive written comments by April 3, 2022.

Department of Energy Office of Science Accepting Applications for Graduate Student Research Awards

The Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science is now accepting applications for the Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program. Applications are due at 5 PM EST on Wednesday, May 4, 2022.

The SCGSR program supports awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students to conduct part of their graduate thesis research at a DOE national laboratory or host site in collaboration with a DOE laboratory scientist — with the goal of preparing graduate students for scientific and technical careers critically important to the DOE Office of Science mission. Since its inception in 2014, the SCGSR program has provided support to over 780 graduate awardees from more than 150 U.S. universities to conduct thesis research at all 17 DOE national laboratories across the nation. More information can be found here.