The Biden administration’s fiscal year 2022 budget recommendation to Congress will be delayed and there isn’t “an exact timeline” yet on when the request will be made, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday.
The budget request typically goes to Congress in early February every year although changes in presidential administrations usually result in delays. But Psaki told reporters during the daily media briefing that the administration’s transition team ran into “some intransigence” from Trump administration political appointees at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) during the transition.
“Those roadblocks definitely delayed the process,” she said.
Some congressional officials have said they expect the budget requests to come in late April or early May and the acting Navy Secretary has said the Defense Department is hoping for May.
President Joe Biden’s nominee to run OMB, Neera Tanden, is facing a difficult path at best to Senate confirmation given past tweets she has made against some Republicans.
“We have a strong team in place, of course, at OMB, many of whom are career officials who are working through administrations to put budgets together,” Psaki said. “But the lack of a confirmed head of OMB certainly doesn’t help to expected the process.”
With February about to close, she said not to expect a budget announcement this month.