March 29, 2022

President Joe Biden released his fiscal year (FY) 2023 budget, requesting $14.6 billion for the Department of Labor, a 1.1 percent increase over last year’s funding level.

Of the increased funding for DOL: (1) $307 million (compared to $251 million in FY 2022) would be allocated to the Wage and Hour Division; (2) $701 million (compared to $612 million in FY22) would be allocated to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration; (3) $147 million (compared to $108.5 million in FY22) would be allocated to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs; (4) $234 million (compared to $185.5 million in FY22) would be allocated to the Employee Benefits Security Administration; and (5) $4.6 billion (compared to $3.6 billion in FY22) would be allocated to the Employment and Training Administration.

The President’s Budget notes that between 2016 and 2020, DOL’s enforcement agencies lost approximately 14 percent of their staff, which limited their ability to perform inspections and conduct investigations. The Administration highlights that the funding increases for DOL in the budget would enable the Department to conduct the enforcement and regulatory work needed to address the misclassification of workers as independent contractors, ensure workers’ wages and benefits are protected, and improve workplace health and safety.

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