Just before the holiday break, Congress passed and President Biden signed into law a $1.7 trillion omnibus package that funds the federal government for the entire 2023 fiscal year.
Thanks to AFGE members and staff’s hard work and perseverance, the full-year funding bill contains several provisions that make it easier for government workers to provide services to the American people. Several agencies, for example, received increased funding to implement new laws and fund staffing increases to meet new demands.
Here are some of the highlights of AFGE priorities we won in the omnibus:
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Defense
Social Security Administration
The agreement includes an increase of $785,033 for SSA's administrative expenses to support increases in fixed costs across SSA. This is a good first step toward SSA having the resources to serve the public.
Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) was funded at $8.4 billion, an increase of $528 million, or 7% more than the fiscal year 2022 enacted level.
The bill also includes more than $180 million above the request to sustain and increase BOP hiring efforts. In addition, BOP is directed to ensure that non-custody correctional employees must spend 90 percent of their work week in their primary positions.
Department of Homeland Security
Transportation Security Administration
Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) Grant Programs
$3.9 billion for FEMA to help communities prepare for, respond to, and recover from both manmade and natural threats, including hurricanes, terrorist attacks, wildfires, and more.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services
$133 million to fund refugee operations so that they are no longer fee-funded from citizenship and visa applications, which led to the threat of furloughs in 2020.
Other Agencies
National Science Foundation (NSF): $9.9 billion, a historic $1.036 billion, or 12% increase above the fiscal year 2022 enacted level.
Small Business Administration (SBA): $1.218 billion for the SBA, which is $188 million more than fiscal year 2022.
Our country has seen many so-called fiscal commissions, and each one of them has failed to produce meaningful change. So why are some voices in both parties floating the idea again?
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AFGE Local 17 President Douglas Massey last week testified before a congressional committee, detailing issues that impede the work of attorneys who adjudicate veterans’ claims and making recommendations on how to improve the process and better serve veterans.
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An investigation into a whistleblower retaliation case championed by AFGE Local 1534 concludes in our union’s favor that an employee has indeed been wrongfully retaliated against.
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