Inside (the Beltway) Scoop

By: Ellen Kuo
Wednesday, June 22, 2022
House Appropriations Committee Releases Various Funding Bills

The House Appropriations Committee released its draft fiscal year (FY) 2023 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies funding bill on June 20, which will address rising energy prices and bolster federal programs to address climate change. It provides the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science $8 billion, an increase of $525 million above the FY 2022 level and $201 million above the president’s request. DOE Office of Science funds basic science research in biology, chemistry, and other scientific disciplines to expand scientific understanding. The research supports nearly 29,000 researchers at more than 300 institutions, spanning all 50 states. The supported scientific user facilities serve nearly 34,000 researchers and other individuals. To view the markup of this bill and others supporting basic research, please visit this site. Additionally, the full schedule of markups at subcommittee and full committee is conveniently listed here.

This week also saw the FY 2023 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations (CJS) bill subcommittee markup on June 22. This bill will fund the National Science Foundation, among other agencies. The FY 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies subcommittee markup took place on June 23, and it will fund the National Institutes of Health. No drafts of either bill were available as of this writing. On June 23, full committee markup took place for the FY 2023 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill and the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill after the previous week’s subcommittee approvals. 

The agriculture bill funds the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), among other areas. Historic investments in agricultural research of $3.6 billion were made to strengthen agricultural productivity and sustainability, as well as support a new generation of agricultural scientists. Of note, $1.06 billion was provided for agricultural experiment stations, cooperative forestry and other research, facilities, and other expenses. AFRI received $500 million, which is a $55 million increase over FY 2022 enacted. To learn more about AFRI’s funding areas in agricultural science, please visit this site. 

The military construction bill funds the VA Medical and Prosthetic Research program, which received $926 million during the previous week’s subcommittee markup due to bipartisan interest in this area of research. More updates will be provided in the next Scoop, based on full committee activity and can be compared with FASEB’s requests for FY 2023 with detailed breakdowns of key federal agency activity by state and congressional districts.