Big Picture: FY22 Budget Process Continues

ANCOR is keeping abreast of the congressional budget process for fiscal year 2022 because it funds the Medicaid program and consumes congressional bandwidth, which more broadly shapes our opportunities for advocacy. For members following this process, we have excerpted the Politico Pro article below to focus on agencies relevant to disability supports.

“House Democrats released their funding toplines for a dozen appropriations bills on Monday, outlining their proposal for divvying up $1.5 trillion in discretionary spending for the upcoming fiscal year.

The release of the funding limits, known as 302(b)s, precedes a full House Appropriations Committee markup on Tuesday. During the markup, appropriators will approve that slate of numbers, in addition to fiscal 2022 spending bills for parts of the Legislative Branch and agencies like the Treasury Department and OMB.

Outlook: The toplines represent House Democrats’ opening offer for funding federal agencies in fiscal 2022, which begins on Oct. 1. But any government funding deal will require support from at least 10 Senate Republicans, meaning both parties will ultimately have to compromise on a final slate of numbers.

Proposed funding totals:

Agriculture-FDA: $26.6 billion [The U.S. Department of Agriculture oversees nutrition assistance programs on which people with disabilities rely.]

Labor-HHS-Education: $237.5 billion [The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services oversees Medicaid and the Administration for Community Living. Additionally, many people with I/DD rely on Department of Education programs for learning and vocational support.]

Transportation-HUD: $84.1 billion [The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development oversees housing assistance programs on which people with disabilities rely.]”

For the convenience of members wanting to see how congressional proposals align with the President’s “wish list” budget, see our overview of the President’s budget.