News from the Hill: April 26, 2021

Monday, April 26, 2021

The Biden Administration has released a “skinny” budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. The 58 page document identifies top-line funding numbers for federal agencies and calls for some specific initiatives. While details remain limited, it is clear that the administration is prioritizing significant investments in medical research and public health. Key items from the initial budget request document include:

$51 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an increase of $9 billion over FY 2021. The NIH budget proposal includes creation of a new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) housed with NIH and supported by a requested $6.5 billion budget

Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The discretionary request includes a major investment of $6.5 billion to launch ARPA-H, which would provide significant increases in direct Federal research and development spending in health. With an initial focus on cancer and other diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s, this major investment in Federal research and development would drive transformational innovation in health research and speed application and implementation of health breakthroughs. This funding is part of a $51 billion request for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue to support research that enhances health, lengthens life, and reduces illness and disability.

$8.7 billion in budget authority for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an increase of $1.6 billion over FY 2021. Combined with annual funding from HHS’s Prevention and Public Health Fund, this would push CDC’s annual program level toward the $10 billion mark.

The release of the President’s budget request is the ceremonially start of the annual appropriations process on Capitol Hill and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra was testifying before House Appropriators shortly after the document was disseminated. He articulated many themes from the requests, including bolstering health infrastructure, investing in research, and addressing health equity and health disparities. A comprehensive annual budget request with funding details for individual programs and activities is expected to be released in mid-May. Additional federal officials, such as NIH Institute/Center Directors, will likely be testifying further before Congress at that time.