Reviewed: Biden’s proposed budget for FY2022

Speaking Security Newsletter | Advisory Note for Organizers and Candidates, n°77 | 12 April 2021

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Situation

The President’s budget was supposed to be delivered to Congress in February. Because the administration’s delays have made people anxious, on Friday the White House released a preview of the Biden-Harris funding request for fiscal year 2022, which begins Oct 1. (Release date for formal budget request still TBD.)

What the President’s budget does

The President’s request kicks off the annual federal budget process. Every year Congress receives the proposal and makes changes to how much each federal department/agency gets. By the end of the legislative process all the funding bills (there’s 12 of them, plus supplemental/emergency provisions) are often rolled into one big bill (‘omnibus’ legislation).

So ultimately the President’s budget request is just a recommendation for the legislative branch (the President proposes, the Congress disposes), but in general the further Congress wants to move away from it the harder it is, politically. So the President’s request establishes a pretty strong baseline.

If you compare the President’s budget request to existing funding levels, you get an idea of what direction the President seeks to take the country. 

Evaluation of the funding request for FY2022

The President’s budget request, so as far as I can tell from the top-line appropriations provided therein, is a trainwreck. Compared to enacted funding for fiscal year 2021 (this year), Biden’s spending proposal would increase the amount available for military programs but decrease funding for non-military programs.

To be sure, the figures for FY21 below were only enacted by Trump and don’t reflect his request for FY21 (which was worse than Biden’s FY22 request). But still, this isn’t about the former president, it’s about the current one. And in Biden’s budget proposal, he should have done literally the opposite with existing funding levels than what he did.

It’s reasonable to argue that Congress will boost non-military spending themselves. But this doesn’t let Biden off the hook because they probably will for military spending, too: Since FY2002, Congress has given the Pentagon an average of $11.82 billion more per year than the President’s request.*

*From my own analysis of DOD Comptroller data.

Thanks for your time,

Stephen (@stephensemler; stephen@securityreform.org)

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