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INSIGHTi
FY2022 NDAA: President’s Budget Request
November 19, 2021
The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) typical y authorizes discretionary funding for
nearly al Department of Defense (DOD) programs and for certain other defense-related activities. While
the NDAA does not appropriate funding (i.e., provide budget authority), the legislation establishes or
continues defense programs, projects, or activities, and provides guidance on how appropriated funds are
to be used in carrying out those efforts. (The statutory requirement for annual authorization of
appropriations for defense programs is codified at 10 U.S.C. §114.)
The FY2022 President’s budget requested more than $6 tril ion in discretionary and mandatory funding,
of which $768.3 bil ion (12.4%) was for activities within the national defense budget function. The latter
is $14.3 bil ion (1.9%) more than the FY2021 level, excluding funds provided by the Emergency Sec urity
Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 117-31).
National defense is one of 20 major functions used by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to
organize budget data and the largest in terms of discretionary funding. Identified by the numerical
notation 050, the national defense budget function is the broadest measure by which the U.S. government
categorizes defense funding. The function comprises the following subfunctions:
Department of Defense (DOD)-Military (identified by the notation 051), which
includes military and intel igence activities of the DOD;
Atomic energy defense activities (053), which includes nuclear weapons and reactor
programs of the Department of Energy; and
Defense-related activities (054), which includes national security activities of several
other agencies, such as Federal Bureau of Investigation counterintel igence activities.
Historical y, DOD has accounted for the bulk—approximately 95%—of funding within the national
defense budget function. For FY2022, the Administration requested $727.9 bil ion for DOD-Military
(11.7% of the federal budget); $29.9 bil ion for atomic energy defense activities (0.5%); and $10.5 bil ion
for defense-related activities (0.2%) (see Figure 1).
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Figure 1. FY2022 Budget Request by National Defense Budget Function and Subfunctions
(in percentages of total budget authority)
Source: CRS analysis of GPO, Budget of the U.S. Government Fiscal Year 2022, Analytical Perspectives, Table 20.1, “Policy
Net Budget Authority by Function, Category, and Program,” at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BUDGET-2022-
PER/pdf/BUDGET-2022-PER-8-5-1.pdf.
Notes: Includes discretionary and mandatory funding.
The national defense budget request included $752.9 bil ion in discretionary funding and $15.4 bil ion for
mandatory funding. In general, funding for discretionary programs is provided in appropriations acts;
while funding for mandatory programs (e.g., Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid) is controlled by
other laws. For DOD, most discretionary programs are funded in major appropriation titles, such as
operation and maintenance (O&M), military personnel (MILPERS), procurement, and research,
development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E); while mandatory programs include, among other things,
certain retirement benefits (e.g., concurrent receipt payments to the military retirement fund for disabled
military retirees to receive both retirement pay and VA disability compensation pay).
The vast majority (approximately 97%) of funding in the national defense budget request fal s within the
scope of the NDAA. The legislation general y authorizes discretionary funding for almost al programs in
the 051 and 053 subfunctions, and relatively few programs in the 054 subfunction. The latter includes
certain Department of Transportation (DOT) Maritime Administration (MARAD) activities (e.g.,
Maritime Security Program).
The national defense budget request included approximately $743 bil ion for discretionary programs
within the scope of the NDAA, according to page 350 of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC)
report (H.Rept. 117-118) accompanying its version of the FY2022 NDAA (H.R. 4350) and page 381 of
the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) report (S.Rept. 117-39) accompanying its version of the
legislation (S. 2792). (The reports include a slight difference in total amounts listed in the column for “FY
2022 Request” because HASC typical y authorizes appropriations for the aforementioned MARAD
activities. While the SASC does not typical y authorize appropriations for these activities, the final
version of the NDAA typical y does.)
The House-passed NDAA would authorize a total of $768.1 bil ion—$25 bil ion (3.4%) more than the
request, according to H.Rept. 117-118 and CRS analysis of the legislation. The Senate Armed Services
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Committee (SASC)-reported version of the bil (S. 2792) would authorize a similar level, $767.7
bil ion—$25 bil ion (3.4%) more than the request, according to (S.Rept. 117-39) (see Table 1).
Table 1. Discretionary Authorizations within the FY2022 National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA; H.R. 4350, S. 2792)
(in bil ions of dol ars of budget authority)
Budget Subfunction
Notation
FY2022
House-passed
SASC-reported
FY2022 Enacted
Name
Request
NDAA (H.R.
NDAA (S. 2792)
NDAA
4350)
Department of Defense-
051
$714.8
$739.5
$740.0
Military
Atomic Energy Defense
053
$27.9
$28.2
$27.7
Programs
Defense-Related Activities
054
$0.4
$0.4
$0.0a
(MARAD programs)
National Defense, Total
050
$743.1
$768.1
$767.7
Source: House Armed Services Committee (HASC) report (H.Rept. 117-118) accompanying its version of the FY2022
NDAA (H.R. 4350), “National Defense Budget Authority Implication,” p. 350; and SASC report (S.Rept. 117-39)
accompanying its version of the FY2022 NDAA (S. 2792), “Summary of National Defense Authorizations for Fiscal Year
2022,” p. 381.
Notes:
a. For the defense-related activities budget subfunction (054), HASC typical y authorizes appropriations for certain
Department of Transportation (DOT) Maritime Administration (MARAD) activities (e.g., Maritime Security Program).
While the Senate Armed Services Committee typical y does not authorize appropriations for these activities, the final
version of the NDAA does.
Author Information
Brendan W. McGarry
Analyst in U.S. Defense Budget
Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff
to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of
Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of
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