SUMMARY:  The House passed the FY 2022 Budget Resolution, completing the  first step in a two-part process to pass the President’s American Families Plan and American Jobs Plan, which is expected to include additional funding for the IRS and paid family leave.    

Today, the House passed the budget resolution for FY 2022, S. Con. Res. 14, which directs congressional committees to draft legislation to be included in a reconciliation bill that will enact President Biden’s American Families Plan and American Jobs Plan agenda.  The budget resolution is designed to allow for $3.5 trillion in spending, fully offset by revenue and other savings.  The Senate passed the resolution on August 11.

The budget reconciliation process first requires Congress to pass a budget resolution, which provides reconciliation instructions to specific committees in the House and Senate and shapes what Congress can include in the ultimate budget reconciliation bill.  The Budget Committees in the House and Senate then merge legislation from those committees into one bill to be considered on the House and Senate floor under reconciliation procedures, which notably requires only 50 votes in the Senate.  Under reconciliation rules, the committees have until September 15 to complete their work.

While the actual text of the budget resolution only lists spending levels, Senate Democrats recently announced a list of policies that they intend to include in the reconciliation legislation, which largely overlaps with those from President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan, including creating a paid Family and Medical Leave benefit that is expected to cover federal workers and increasing investment in IRS enforcement.

Now that the House has passed the budget resolution, work on the reconciliation bill formally begins.  Please be assured as Congress works on the reconciliation bill, NTEU will continue to fight for priorities important to our members.  I will update you on further developments.