Category: Budget and Climate

Administration Outlines FY 2022 Budget, Plans Executive Order on Climate-Related Risks for Public and Private Financial Assets

Posted on by Trey Jackson

Biden Budget April_9_2021

The Biden administration today released its $1.52 trillion discretionary spending request for the coming fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1, 2022. This initial budget request outlines President Biden’s priorities and agenda for the coming year, but does not include any plans for raising revenue or tax policy changes. (Full budget text and news release summary)

Tax Details in Spring

  • Today’s “skinny” budget will be followed in late spring by a formal budget with more detailed requests for mandatory spending and tax policy proposals.  (CQ, April 7)
  • The budget proposal would boost current funding levels for nondefense spending by 16 percent and limit increases in defense spending to 1.7 percent. (CQ, April 9)
  • Among the specific agencies affected, the Environmental Protection Agency budget would increase $2 billion, and the Housing and Urban Development Department would receive a $9 billion boost. (New York Times and USA Today, April 9 )

Budget & Climate

San Francisco landscape wildfire smoke

  • The administration’s is also expected to address risks to financial stability posed by climate change in its long-term budget planning. Bloomberg reported this week that Biden will soon issue an Executive Order to develop a plan on climate-related risks for public and private financial assets.
  • The Executive Order would come as policymakers and the private sector debate how the financial industry should prepare for environmental threats – and the information companies should provide to investors about those risks.
  • The strategy would be developed within 120 days of the Order by National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and National Climate Advisor Gina McCarthy, in coordination with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. (Bloomberg, April 8)

Secretary Yellen is currently working on a separate report on government-wide efforts to address climate-related financial risks with the Financial Stability Oversight Council, which includes the Federal Reserve and the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Politico, March 31)

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