President Trump this week submitted his annual budget request to Congress containing the Administration’s recommendations for funding the federal government in the upcoming fiscal year (FY 2021), which runs from October 1, 2020, through September 30, 2021.
With respect to funding for key workplace enforcement agencies, the President’s budget proposes modest increases for the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and its Wage and Hour Division (WHD). In contrast, the proposal would cut funding for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) by nearly 7 percent and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by 10%.
As was requested in the President’s FY 2020 budget, the FY 2021 proposal once again calls for the creation of a paid parental leave program to be funded through the unemployment insurance system. Notably, in contrast to prior Trump Administration budget requests, this year’s version does not contain a request that Congress require employers to participate in E-Verify.
Please keep in mind that in practical terms the President’s annual budget request should be viewed as more as a wish list than what the final funding numbers are likely to look like. In the end, it is Congress – not the Administration – that decides on final funding numbers, as well as making any proposed policy changes. Experience tells us that that there are likely to be significant changes to what the President has requested by the time final FY 2021 numbers are agreed to.
The President’s FY 2021 budget and supporting materials are available online.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.