by Ben Reynolds
On March 15, President Biden signed into law House Resolution 2471 the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022. The act provides $1.5 trillion in annual appropriations and provides funding through fiscal year 2022, which began Oct. 1, 2021. Funding is provided through 12 appropriation bills. The omnibus bill increases non-defense spending to $720 billion (6.7% increase from fiscal year 2021) and increases defense spending to $782 billion (5.6% increase from fiscal year 2021). This will fund the government through September 2022.
A division-by-division breakdown of appropriation provision can be found here, and the Federal Funds Information for States Table of Major Discretionary and Mandatory Program Funding can be found here. An additional $15.6 billion in Covid-19 relief funds was removed from the bill before final passage. There may be a vote for all or part of that relief funding this week in House Resolution 7007. This standalone bill would be partially offset by $8.6 billion in expired Treasury funds, but does not include the federal government “clawing back” unallocated Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds as a $7.055 billion offset.
Examples of funding in the Consolidated Appropriations Act
The 2022 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriation bill provides $234.2 billion for discretionary and mandatory programs. These include:
- $450 million in broadband funding through the ReConnect Program
- $6 billion in discretionary funding for Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), including $835 million to increase the amounts of fruits and vegetables in WIC Food Package
- $140.4 billion in mandatory spending for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
The 2022 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies appropriation bill provides $75.8 billion in funding for continued scientific research, investment in economic development, supporting law enforcement and increases for implementing the Violence Against Women Act. These programs include:
- $9.9 billion in net discretionary funding for the Department of Commerce, including $373.5 million for the Economic Development Administration and $55 million for Minority Business Development Agency
- $3.9 billion for the Department of Justice for grants for state and local law enforcement
Approximately $55 billion is provided through the 2022 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriation bill, which invests in clean energy technologies and rebuilding water infrastructure.
The 2022 Financial Services and General Government appropriation bill provides $25.5 billion in funding for, among other things, assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs, funding the Internal Revenue Service and initiatives in election security. It includes $75 million for Election Security Grants to ensure the integrity and safety of election.
The 2022 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriation bill provides $38 billion to cover land management, conservation and environmental remediation. This includes:
- $4.352 billion for the Environmental Protection Agency’s State and Tribal Assistance Grants. These grants cover programs such as brownfield cleanup, sewer overflow mitigation and Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds.
The 2022 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriation bill contains $213.6 billion in funds for the Center for Disease Control, Department of Labor, National Institutes of Health, the Department of Education and others. Some programs funded include:
- $2.9 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity State Grants that helps job seekers access employment, education and training
- $2.9 billion for Unemployment Insurance programs (including contingency funding to help states if there is a spike in unemployment claims)
- $14.5 billion for special education purposes, including $13.3 billion for Part B Grants to states
- $2.2 billion to increase student achievement through Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants
The 2022 Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriation bill provides $81 billion in funding for discretionary spending of $4 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and $1.6 billion for the Department of Transportation (DOT). This fully implements investments and programs in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 also includes funding for:
- Defense ($728.5 billion)
- Homeland Security ($57.5 billion)
- Legislative Branch (5.925 billion)
- Military Constriction and Veterans Affairs ($284.6)
- State and Foreign Operations ($51.6 billion) — including $13.6 billion in emergency humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine