Biden's 2023 budget will 'land the first woman and person of color on the moon'

The Biden administration's proposed $7.5 billion 2023 budget contains a provision to put the "first woman and person of color on the Moon." Under the section to fund NASA, the provision is to enhance "US Human Spaceflight Leadership," and the plan is for this monumental event to happen by 2025, just about three years from now.

It isn't just in space flight that the Biden administration seeks to embed concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion, but across the entire budget. The preamble for the budget includes numerous references to expanding equity through funding across all federal agencies, and the budget itself uses the word equity 158 times in its 158 pages.

Upon taking office, Biden was insistent that equity would be a key component of every aspect of his administration's governance, and this 2023 budget has funding for equity in every agency.

The budget states that "the President has taken historic steps to put equity at the center of his agenda—and why the President assembled the most diverse cabinet in American history to deliver on this Government-wide effort."

National Aeronautics and Space Administration $26 billion

"Enhances U.S. Human Spaceflight Leadership. The Budget provides $7.5 billion, $1.1 billion above the 2021 enacted level, for Artemis lunar exploration. Artemis would return American astronauts to the Moon as early as 2025, land the first woman and person of color on the Moon, deepen the Nation’s scientific understanding of the Moon, and test technologies that would allow humans to safely and sustainably explore Mars. Lunar landing missions would also include astronauts from international partners."

National Science Foundation include $10.5 billion

"Advances Racial Equity in Science and Engineering. The Budget provides $393 million, an increase of $172 million or 78 percent above the 2021 enacted level, for programs to increase the participation of historically underrepresented communities in science and engineering fields. Funding would support: curriculum design; research on successful recruitment and retention methods; development of outreach or mentorship programs; fellowships; and building science and engineering research and education capacity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority-Serving Institutions. These investments would help ensure the U.S. science and technology workforce reflects the Nation as a whole."

Small Business Administration $914 million

"Supports Underserved Entrepreneurs. The Budget provides a $31 million increase over the 2021 enacted level to support women, people of color, veterans, and other underserved entrepreneurs through SBA’s entrepreneurial Development programs. This bold commitment ensures entrepreneurs have access to counseling, training, and mentoring services. Access to these services is essential to addressing inequities, expanding economic opportunity, and ensuring small businesses have the tools to succeed."

Social Security Administration $14.8 billion

"Advances Equity and Accessibility. SSA remains committed to breaking down barriers to access experienced by people who rely on its services, including individuals experiencing homelessness, children with disabilities, and people with mental and intellectual disabilities. The Budget makes investments to decrease customer wait times, simplify application processes, and increase outreach to people who are difficult to reach. SSA will also continue to modernize its information technology systems to make more services available online and improve 800 Number access."

Environmental Protection Agency $11.9 billion

"Advances Environmental Justice. The Administration continues to prioritize efforts to deliver environmental justice in communities across the United States, including meeting the President’s Justice40 commitment to ensure at least 40 percent of the benefits of Federal investments in climate and clean energy reach disadvantaged communities. The Budget bolsters these efforts by investing nearly $1.5 billion across numerous programs that would help create good-paying jobs, clean up pollution, implement Justice40, advance racial equity, and secure environmental justice for communities that too often have been left behind, including rural and tribal communities. This funding includes $100 million for support of a new community air quality monitoring and notification program and additional investments in protection for fenceline communities, civil rights compliance, and environmental permitting."

Corps of Engineers—Civil Works $6.6 billion

"Advances Equity and Environmental Justice. The Budget invests in technical assistance, studies, and the construction of projects to address water resources challenges in disadvantaged and tribal communities in line with the President’s Justice40 Initiative. For example, the Budget includes funding for remedial clean-up of the Bradford Island site on the Columbia River to address decades of contamination, including in important tribal fishing areas."

Department of the Treasury $16.2 billion

"Expands Lending in Disadvantaged Communities and Increases Affordable Housing Supply. The Budget provides $331 million for the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, an increase of $61 million, or 23 percent, above the 2021 enacted level. To address the critical shortage of affordable housing in communities, the Budget also proposes $5 billion in long-term mandatory funding for CDFI financing of new construction and substantial rehabilitation that creates net new units of affordable rental and for sale housing. CDFIs provide historically underserved and often low-income communities access to credit, capital, and financial support to grow businesses, increase affordable housing, and reinforce healthy neighborhood development."

Department of Transportation $26.8 billion

"Advances Racial Equity and Supports Underserved Communities. The Budget requests an additional $20 million above the 2021 enacted level for the Office of the Secretary to lead DOT’s efforts to promote equity and inclusion. With these resources, DOT would better ensure that historic investments under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law deliver resources and benefits equitably, including communities that have been historically underserved and adversely affected by persistent poverty or income inequality. DOT actions include workforce development, disadvantaged business enterprise procurement, data collection, reporting, public participation, and assistance measures mitigating or negating the effects of structural obstacles to building wealth."

Department of Energy $48.2 billion

"Advances Environmental Justice and Equity. The Budget provides historic support for underserved communities, including: $34 million for the Office of economic Impact and Diversity to play a critical role in implementing the Department’s Justice40 efforts and equity action plan; $40 million in new resources for capacity building assistance in areas of persistent poverty around the Department’s cleanup sites; and $13 million for the Office of Legacy Management to strengthen its environmental justice mission. New programs, including Funding for Accelerated, Inclusive Research, would train and support a diverse and inclusive scientific workforce for the future. In addition, the newly established Office of State and Community Programs would launch Low Income Home energy Assistance Program Advantage with a $100 million pilot to retrofit low-income homes with efficient electric appliances and systems; and the Office of energy efficiency and Renewable energy would lead a $31 million equitable Clean energy Transition initiative to build capacity and provide technical assistance to help energy and environmental justice communities navigate and benefit from the transition to a clean energy economy. These investments would build healthy, culturally vibrant, sustainable, and resilient communities."

Department of State $67.6 billion

"Advances Equity and Equality Globally. The Budget provides $2.6 billion to advance gender equity and equality across a broad range of sectors, more than doubling the gender attributions of the policies of this Administration. This includes $200 million for the Gender equity and equality Action Fund to advance the economic security of women and girls. This total also includes funding to strengthen the participation of women in conflict prevention, resolution, and recovery through the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017. To further implement the President’s executive Order 13985, 'Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities,' the Budget would better integrate equity through more inclusive policies, strategies, and practice including enhancing the ability of potential non-traditional partners to pursue Federal opportunities and address the barriers they face in the Federal award process, and new efforts to identify spaces to support and advance underserved population appropriate to the country context."

Housing and Urban Development $71.9 billion

"Promotes Equity by Preventing and Redressing Housing Discrimination. The Budget provides $86 million in grants to support State and local fair housing enforcement organizations and to further education, outreach, and training on rights and responsibilities under Federal fair housing laws. The Budget also invests in HUD staff and operations capacity to deliver on the President’s housing priorities, including to lift barriers that restrict housing and neighborhood choice, affirmatively further fair housing, and provide redress to those who have experienced housing discrimination."

Department of the Interior $17.5 billion

"Promotes Racial Justice and Equity. The Budget supports DOI’s ongoing work to advance racial justice and more equitably deliver services to all Americans with discrete investments in each bureau. The Budget provides over $3 billion to programs covered under the Justice40 initiative, such as tribal housing improvements, wildlife conservation grants, and energy infrastructure development in insular communities, which ensures that at least 40 percent of the overall benefits from certain Federal investments are delivered to disadvantaged communities. Moreover, the Budget includes a $48 million initiative to build a more equitable National Park System (NPS). Through this initiative, DOI would expand operations at parks that preserve and tell the story of historically underrepresented and marginalized groups, further integrate tribal viewpoints into park management, address transportation barriers to parks from underserved communities, and improve park accessibility for visitors and employees with disabilities."

Department of Justice $37.7 billion

"Supports Environmental Justice. The Budget expands DOJ’s work in environmental justice, providing $1.4 million to launch an Office for environmental Justice. An additional $6.5 million funds the environment and Natural Resources Division’s work in securing environmental justice and combatting the climate crisis. These resources would be central to the Division and DOJ’s execution of a comprehensive environmental justice strategy in support of the President’s executive Order 14008, 'Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.'"

Department of Defense $773 billion

"Empowers Small Disadvantaged Businesses and Underserved Communities. The Budget advances equity and supports small disadvantaged businesses and underserved communities. DOD will continue to explore opportunities to serve the American people, with a focus on these communities, through supplier and contracting operations."

Department of Agriculture $28 billion

"Advances Equity and Environmental Justice. The Budget supports the Administration’s ongoing work to advance racial justice and provide more equitable program delivery. Certain USDA programs and initiatives, such as High Cost energy grants, Rural energy for America grants and loan guarantees, Private Lands Conservation Operations, Urban Agriculture, and Water and Wastewater direct loans, would support the President’s Justice40 Initiative, which directs that at least 40 percent of the overall benefits from climate and clean energy investments be directed to historically disadvantaged communities. In addition, the Budget includes $39 million for the Rural Partners Network, which would connect America’s rural communities to a broad range of programs and resources throughout the Federal Government. The Budget also provides $31 million for USDA’s Office of Civil Rights, an increase of $9 million over the 2021 enacted level."

Department of Education $88.3 billion

While equity is not explicitly mentioned, it undergirds every aspect of the Biden administration's plans for funding education initiatives nationwide. Funding for mental health professionals in schools, funding for community schools, which make schools a center for communities as opposed to centers of education for students, and funding that "fosters diverse schools." There is also funding that "strengthens civil rights enforcement," including Title IX, which now recognizes biological males as females and gives them access to funding that was meant as a set-aside for girls and women.

Department of Health and Human Services $127.3 billion

"Advances Maternal Health and Health Equity. The United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed nations, and rates are disproportionately high for Black and American Indian and Alaska Native women. The Budget includes $470 million to: reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates; expand maternal health initiatives in rural communities; implement implicit bias training for healthcare providers; create pregnancy medical home demonstration projects; and address the highest rates of perinatal health disparities, including by supporting the perinatal health workforce. The Budget also extends and increases funding for the Maternal, Infant, and early Childhood Home Visiting program, which serves approximately 71,000 families at risk for poor maternal and child health outcomes each year, and is proven to reduce disparities in infant mortality. To address the lack of data on health disparities and further improve access to care, the Budget strengthens collection and evaluation of health equity data. Recognizing that maternal mental health conditions are the most common complications of pregnancy and childbirth, the Budget continues to support the maternal mental health hotline and the screening and treatment for maternal mental depression and related behavioral disorders."