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Boosts Requested

In a new budget proposal, President Joe Biden is seeking $1.5 trillion in federal spending, which includes a nearly 24 percent funding boost for the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Washington Post reports.

In particular, President Biden's budget request seeks $131.7 billion for HHS, which includes $8.7 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Post adds. Further, Science reports that the proposal seeks $51 billion for the National Institutes of Health — a boost of $9 billion — and $10.2 billion for the National Science Foundation — an increase of $1.7 billion.

According to Science, the proposed NIH budget includes $6.5 billion for the creation of a new health agency in the mold of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency — dubbed ARPA-H — to tackle riskier projects aimed at developing treatments for cancer and conditions like diabetes and Alzheimer's disease.

As Vox notes, the funding request is not a full budget proposal, but does provide a glimpse into Biden Administration priorities. The Post notes that it "stands in stark contrast to Trump's spending goals." The Trump Administration typically sought to cut science and research spending, though Congress did not enact those cuts.

The Scan

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