President Biden Releases FY 2022 “Skinny” Budget Request with Large Increases for Education Department, NSF, NIH


April 2021

On April 9, the Biden administration released a summary of topline budget requests for federal agencies for FY 2022. The full budget request is expected to be released in May.

The proposal includes $102.8 billion for the Department of Education, representing an increase of nearly $29 billion, or a 41 percent increase from FY 2021. Much of the increase comes from a $20 billion expansion of Title I funding for K–12 schools, with other notable increases including $3 billion for Pell grants and $2.6 billion for special education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The amount for the Institute of Education Sciences was not specified in the budget outline but will be included in the full budget request.

The request includes an overall amount for the National Science Foundation (NSF) of $10.2 billion, an increase of $1.7 billion, or 20 percent, over FY 2021. The proposal does not break down the amounts that would be provided for Research and Related Activities or the Education and Human Resources Directorate. However, the administration has advanced a 50 percent increase for programs that seek to broaden participation in STEM, and it seeks to establish a directorate for technology within NSF.

Under this proposal, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) would receive $51 billion overall. The proposal also includes guidance on two research initiatives. The first would double funding for a joint program of NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to address firearm mortality and prevention research, from $50 million to $100 million. The second would establish the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) at a funding level of $6.5 billion.

As details of the Biden administration’s FY 2022 budget request emerge, Congress is beginning the appropriations process. On April 29, AERA Executive Director Felice J. Levine provided written testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS). In the testimony, Levine recommended providing $10 billion to the National Science Foundation and $2 billion to the Census Bureau in FY 2022. Most notably, the testimony highlighted needed investments in fundamental education research in NSF through the Education Core Research program, and the importance of expanding the data collected in National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics surveys to further understanding of issues of equity and inclusion in STEM fields.

NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan testified before the Senate and House CJS appropriations subcommittees on April 13 and April 14, respectively. Both hearings focused on the NSF FY 2022 budget request. On May 5, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona will appear before the House Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education on the Department of Education budget request.