Biden-Harris Administration’s FY 2022 Discretionary Funding Request Includes Proposals to Advance Public Health
In its first year, new presidential administrations release a skinny budget that contains more topline items rather than deep dives into each agency and subdivision. Following suit, in April 2021 the Biden-Harris administration released (https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/FY-2022-Discretionary-Request/) its request for discretionary funding with limited definition, but it was enough to foreshadow the fiscal year (FY) 2022 funding cycle.
The funding request (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/FY2022-Discretionary-Request-Press-Release.pdf) includes a $6.5 billion proposal to launch the National Institutes of Health’s Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, a $10.7 billion proposal to help end the opioid epidemic, and an $8.7 billion proposal to improve readiness for future public health crises.
If funded, the proposals would help enhance and empower the healthcare industry to reduce disparities and improve health care for all. The administration (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/FY2022-Discretionary-Request-Press-Release.pdf) says the funding would also help to further research and education in those areas, which will in turn drive and shape health care. With critical advancements that the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic brought to health care, the funding would enable oncology nurses and other healthcare workers to keep moving forward in helping those who need it most.
Additional FY 2022 (https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/FY-2022-Discretionary-Request/) proposals include:
- Investing in high-poverty schools
- Tackling the climate crisis
- Extending housing vouchers and helping end homelessness
- Reinvigorating civil rights enforcement
- Combating gun violence
- Addressing migration from Central America and reducing asylum backlogs
- Ending gender-based violence
- Upholding trust responsibility to tribal nations
Expect the Biden-Harris administration to provide greater detail in future budgets, particularly in terms of the federal government’s plans for how to budget the discretionary funds and promote the administration’s political agenda.
ONS advocates for the advancement of research, education, and resources in the public health and health care fields, and funding for related initiatives is crucial for further development. Learn how to become an advocate (https://www.ons.org/make-difference/ons-center-advocacy-and-health-policy) with ONS and be a part of a team (https://voice.ons.org/advocacy/oncology-nurses-are-making-a-difference-in-policy-and-advocacy) that paves the way to the future.