The House Appropriations Committee released a draft of the fiscal year (FY) 2022 Financial Services and General Government funding bill, to be considered by a subcommittee on June 25.
Among critical components of the bill is election security with funding for the Election Assistance Commission (EAC), an independent agency, to ensure the integrity and safety of U.S. elections. The bill provides $500 million for election security grants, an increase of $400 million above the request, to augment State efforts to improve the security and integrity of elections for Federal office. In addition, $22.8 million is included for EAC operating expenses, an increase of $5.8 million above the FY 2021 enacted level.
For FY 2022, the draft bill includes $29.1 billion in discretionary funding, increasing by $4.8 billion over 2021. The legislation provides annual funding for the Department of the Treasury, the Judiciary, the Executive Office of the President, and other independent agencies.
The bill includes $837.3 million in funding for the President’s Executive Office, $78.6 million more than FY 2021, and $11.5 million above the President’s budget request. The Office of the National Cyber Director will receive $15 million of that in funding to stand up a new Office of the National Cyber Director to help coordinate Federal cybersecurity policy and strategy.
The bill also provides a total of $15.4 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of the Treasury, an increase of $1.9 billion above the FY 2021 enacted level and equal to the President’s request. The department’s Cybersecurity Enhancement Account will receive $132 million to address the impacts of the SolarWinds attack and minimize the effects of future incidents, an increase of $114 million compared to FY 2021.
Additionally, the bill proposes $305 million to modernize IRS legacy systems and improve IRS Web applications, $82 million more than in FY 2021.
In addition to funding cybersecurity measures, the bill also included $388 million for the Federal Communications Commission to support the commission’s efforts to expand broadband access, improve the security of U.S. telecommunications networks, and administer billions in COVID-19 relief programs. This funding represents a $14 million increase over the FY 2021 enacted level.
