White House Releases FY 2022 Discretionary Budget Request

President Biden today submitted to Congress his discretionary budget request for fiscal year (FY) 2022. The budget request, which is not binding, proposes $1.5 trillion for appropriated spending in FY 2022, including $769 billion for domestic programs, a 16% increase over last year’s level. The full budget request is expected to be released later this spring.

Today’s budget proposes nearly $132 billion for the Department of Health and Human Services, a 23% increase over last year’s enacted level, including $8.7 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the largest increase in nearly two decades.

The budget request is largely shaped by several overarching themes: improving public health infrastructure, strengthening the economy, reducing inequities, and addressing climate change. It contains a number of health care-related provisions with a particular emphasis on public health, behavioral health, health care research, and health care disparities.

Specifically, the budget would make investments to:

• Strengthen public health infrastructure, including through replenishment of critical medical supplies and restructuring efforts for the Strategic National Stockpile and making investments to enhance federal response capacity;
• Expand access to mental health care services, including through $1.6 billion for the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant; $10.7 billion to support research, prevention, treatment and recovery support services for individuals with opioid use disorders; and increased investment in school-based mental health services;
• Improve access to care in rural communities, including through expansions in broadband technology, investments in health care providers and increased funding for rural residency and other workforce programs;
• Increase research to address priority diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s, through a new “Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health” with an initial $6.5 billion investment;
• Advance health equity and reduce health disparities, including with a specific focus on maternal mortality, as well as American Indians and Alaska Natives; and 
• Improve access to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care services, as well as increase investments in health care research relevant to veterans with a particular focus on traumatic brain injury.

The Administration also is requesting other health care investments to address gender-based violence, gun violence, HIV/AIDS, home and community-based services, cybersecurity and the health impacts of climate change.

Further Questions
If you have further questions, please contact AHA at 800-424-4301.