Five Things to Know about the President’s Budget Proposal
 

President Biden on Monday released his fiscal 2023 blueprint that would significantly boost funding for many NTEU-represented agencies and provide federal employees with an average 4.6 percent pay raise next year.

Here are some things federal employees should know about the budget proposal:

1. The White House proposal is a good starting point in the debate over next year’s pay raise. The proposed an average 4.6 percent pay raise for federal employees in 2023 but Congress can set a different figure and NTEU endorses the 5.1 percent average increase called for in the FAIR Act (H.R. 6398 and S. 3518). 

2. Many NTEU-represented agencies would receive robust funding boosts in fiscal 2023. The spending plan calls for a welcome increase in investments in federal agencies and employees. This includes 28 percent more at the Environmental Protection Agency; 27 percent at the Department of Health and Human Services; and 18 percent at the Internal Revenue Service.  The budget also supports additional funding to assist Customs and Border Protection employees at the ports of entry with investments in modern border security technology. The Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Patent and Trademark Office would also see more funding to hire additional employees.

3. The budget proposal seeks to improve access to behavioral health services. The budget proposal would require coverage of three primary visits and three behavior health visits without cost-sharing for all participants in the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program.  

4. The administration continues its support for federal unions and pro-employee policies. In his budget, President Biden states that over the next fiscal year, the administration will continue to make progress in labor-management relations. The budget highlights those efforts to date, including expanding the scope of workplace topics that can be addressed at the bargaining table, rolling back many anti-union policies previously imposed on the workforce and establishing the Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment.

5. The president’s budget request is the first step in the complicated process of funding the federal government. As Congress begins working on government funding for the next fiscal year, NTEU will be there every step of the way, fighting to ensure that employees receive a fair pay increase and that agencies have the resources necessary to meet their important missions.