CONGRESS RELEASES FY23 OMNIBUS SPENDING BILL TEXT, AIMING TO PASS PACKAGE BY FRIDAY
Late last night, lawmakers released the text of a $1.7 trillion year-end spending bill that Congress is racing to pass by Friday at midnight, the current funding deadline. The bill includes approximately $800 billion for non-defense spending, an increase of $68 billion over FY22, and $858 billion for defense spending, an increase of $76 billion over FY22.
- Pell Grant: $500 increase to maximum award, as well as increases for other student aid and higher education programs
- The National Institutes of Health (NIH): $47.5 billion (+5.1%)
- The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H): $1.5 billion (the agency is currently operating on $1 billion of initial funding provided in FY22)
- The National Science Foundation (NSF): $9.87 billion (+11.7%); this includes $8.84 billion in FY23 appropriations and $1.03 billion in supplemental funding
- NASA Science: $7.8 billion (+$180.6 million, +2.4%)
- The Department of Defense Basic Research: $2.9 billion (+$140 million, + 5%)
- The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): $207 million (+$27 million, +15%)
- The Department of Energy’s (DOE's) Office of Science: $8.1 billion (+$625 million, +8.4%)
In addition to FY23 federal spending, the bill contains policy provisions authorizing the recently created ARPA-H. The Senate is expected to take up the spending package today and seek an agreement before Thursday night to send it to the House for approval. The House then is expected to consider and pass the measure by Thursday or Friday to avoid a government shutdown.