FY24 Appropriations Process Is Underway: President’s Budget Request is Released

Posted on March 23, 2023April 3, 2023

Earlier this month, the FY2024 President’s Budget Request (PBR) was released outlining the administration’s priorities for the coming fiscal year. The overall request is self-described as a blueprint to build on the past two years to “grow the economy from the bottom up and middle out by investing in America, lowering costs for families, protecting and strengthening Medicare and Social Security, and reducing the deficit by nearly $3 trillion over the next decade”.

The FY24 PBR included:

$8,215 per Pell Grant award (an $820 increase over FY23)
$21 billion in discretionary spending for CHIPS & Science-authorized activities including $1.2 billion for the Directorate of Technology Innovation and Partnerships (TIP)
$48.26 billion for NIH (an increase of 1.7% over FY23)
$2.5 billion for ARPA-H (a $1 billion increase over FY23)
$27.2 billion for NASA (a 7.1% increase over FY23), and
$11.3 billion for NSF (an 18.6% increase over FY23 enacted level of $9.5 billion)

Now the House and Senate will review the request and vote on a Budget Resolution that decides on topline numbers for discretionary funding. Here is where things could get tricky as the new divided Congress will likely have trouble coming to an agreement.

Check out a more complete list of programs and accounts on our updated appropriations tracker, including the FY24 budget request numbers, here. We will continue to add to this once more budget justifications are released and as the appropriations process continues.

UW & WSU Engineering Deans Visit with Washington Delegation in D.C.

Posted on February 13, 2023February 16, 2023

Last week, the UW’s College of Engineering Dean, Dr. Nancy Allbritton, met with Washington’s congressional members and staff in Washington, D.C. (including with Senator Cantwell pictured above!) Dr. Allbritton was accompanied by Washington State University’s Dean of Engineering, Dr. Mary Rezac, for a few of the meetings to discuss how federal investment in research is helping lead Washington state to the forefront of scientific knowledge and discovery in areas from quantum and AI to clean energy and aerospace.

For more information about visiting the district and setting up meetings with congressional offices, please click here.

President Biden Signs FY23 Appropriations Bill Into Law

Posted on January 4, 2023

President Biden signed the FY23 appropriations bill right before the end of the year to fund the government and its agencies through the 2023 fiscal year.

The bill includes $772.5 billion in nondefense spending ($42.5 billion more than FY22) and $858 billion in defense spending ($76 billion more than last year). The bill also includes $1.8 billion in new funding to implement the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. In a previous blog (linked here) we highlight other final numbers including the Pell Grant increase, ARPA-H, etc.

The final FY23 numbers can be found on our appropriations tracker linked here. We will continue to update these numbers as final calculations come in.

Registration Open for the Fall Federal Relations Town Hall 11/17!

Posted on November 2, 2022

The Office of Federal Relations is hosting a virtual Federal Relations Town Hall on November 17th from 10am-11am PT to discuss updates on appropriations, UW federal priorities, and other relevant federal activities. After the presentation there will be an opportunity for a Q&A.

Registration is open to all members of the UW community and can be filled out here. Once you register you will receive a confirmation email which has the Zoom link to be used the day of. We hope to see you there!

Student Loan Forgiveness Program Temporarily Halted, Still Accepting Applications

Posted on October 25, 2022

Ever since the announcement of the federal student loan relief program, the Biden administration has been facing a slew of legal challenges by conservative states. Six GOP-led states filed a complaint alleging that the program was an illegal use of authority, and that the policy would have negative economic impacts on their states. Last Thursday, a federal judge ruled that the states did not have the standing to sue as they failed to prove that the policy directly harms them, stating that the claims were too speculative. The states quickly appealed the decision and on Friday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary stay that bars the administration from granting student loan relief until the court officially rules on the request to block the policy.

The temporary stay does not stop eligible borrowers from applying for relief nor does it stop the administration from reviewing applications, however the administration cannot officially forgive the debt until the decision is made. The administration has expressed confidence that the program will survive the legal challenges and that they will be able to proceed with forgiving debt for the almost 22 million people who have already submitted the application. The court is expected to act quickly on this case but it is unclear how potential future legal challenges may impact the program – in the meantime borrowers are encouraged to keep submitting their applications. The office will continue to monitor and provide updates on the program and potential legal challenges as they unfold. More information can be found here and the application can be found here.