The House of Representatives late on March 9 passed the long-awaited full-year appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2022 ending Sept. 30, along with a four-day continuing resolution (CR) to give the Senate a few more days to shepherd the full-year omnibus spending bill to passage.
The FY2022 funding bill has a topline number of $1.5 trillion and includes significant increases for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and other Federal agencies’ cybersecurity missions.
After unveiling the bill early on March 9, it took a late effort from the House to pass the spending measure. The chamber also passed a CR extending the Federal government funding from March 11, to March 15. The Senate is expected to take up and pass the CR today.
“The Biden-Harris Administration applauded House passage of the bipartisan funding bill, which delivers for the American people through critical investments in a range of bipartisan priorities – from securing historic support for the Ukrainian people, to launching the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, to investing in education, to tackling crime,” the White House said in a statement today.
In addition to funding cyber priorities, including energy resiliency, the Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and Department of Energy (DoE) cybersecurity, the bill also invests in research and development, broadband, and artificial intelligence.
Under the bill, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency would receive $3.87 billion, and the DoE Advanced Research Projects Agency would receive $450 million. The bill also includes $1 billion to fund the creation of an Advanced Research Projects Agency at the Department of Health and Human Services.
Appropriators also included $7.9 billion in loan authority for rural electric and telephone infrastructure and $550 million to increase rural broadband availability. The Department of Defense would receive $200 million for an Artificial Intelligence Development Fund and another $50 million to bulk up an AI-focused workforce.
“The bipartisan funding bill would also end a damaging series of short-term continuing resolutions that for months have undermined the government’s ability to meet pressing challenges,” the White House said. “The Senate should send the bipartisan funding bill to the President’s desk for signature without delay.”
