The White House March 9 released its fiscal 2024 budget proposal that includes several priorities for government workers. Here are some of the highlights of next year’s budget government workers should be aware of:
- 5.2% pay raise. The proposal includes a 5.2% raise for federal workers next year. AFGE appreciates the increase but continues to push for the passage of a bill that would give the employees an 8.7% raise.
- Funding for TSOs’ pay raise. The budget includes $1.1 billion above the 2023 level to fully fund the new pay scale at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). President Biden signed into law the 2023 omnibus government funding bill that funds the pay hike for Transportation Security Officers (TSOs), giving the severely underpaid workforce an average 30% raise.
- The EPA and NSF got nearly 20% increase in funding. The administration seeks more funding for most federal agencies next year, but two agencies in particular are getting a big bump in their budget: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). The EPA and NSF are slated to receive 19.2% and 18.6% respectively, indicating the administration’s focus on science, public health, and the climate crisis.
- 10% increase for SSA. The Social Security Administration (SSA) is getting $15.5 billion, a 10% increase, to hire more staff and improve customer service at field offices. But due to a decade of underfunding, significant additional increases will be needed to restore the agency’s ability to serve the public in timely manner.
- Help for federal retirees. The budget seeks to modernize the federal retirement system with $6.6 million for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to help reduce processing times and improve customer satisfaction, expand a pilot for online retirement application, and begin to fund additional IT modernization initiatives akin to a case management system.
- More food inspectors. The budget provides an increase of $102 million for the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for a total of $1.3 billion. This funding would allow the agency to hire more inspectors and public health veterinarians to ensure safe and healthy food products.
- More funding for agricultural research. Agricultural research, education and outreach would see an increase of $299 million, bringing overall agricultural research-related spending to more than $4 billion. In fiscal 2023, appropriators provided major areas of research just under $4 billion: $1.7 billion for the Agricultural Research Service, $1.7 billion for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and $455 million for the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, part of National Institute of Food and Agriculture, to award competitive grants.
- More staff at the VA to implement a new law. The administration seeks $20.3 billion for the Toxic Exposure Fund, which is $15.3 billion above the 2023 enacted level. This amount includes: $17.1 billion for medical care; $1.8 billion for disability benefits claims processing and automation strategies; $1.2 billion for information technology support; $90 million for support services, including stakeholder outreach, hiring initiatives, and legal services; $46 million for research activities; and $4 million for claims appeals. The administration seeks $121 billion in discretionary medical care funding in 2024, $2.3 billion above the 2023 enacted level. It also seeks $3.5 billion for infrastructure construction and expansion and $5 billion for facility maintenance.
