FY2023 Omnibus Bill Advances Important Programs—While Overlooking Key Priorities 

In the last few days of 2022, Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (also known as the “omnibus bill”). The bill invests in economic opportunity and social justice—notably in child care and early education, immigration, health and mental health, income supports and nutrition, and labor and higher education.

The $8 billion+ appropriation in the Child Care and Development Block Grant represents an increase of $1.9 billion—a 30 percent bump. This week, CLASP released state-by-state estimates of that increase. 

While CLASP applauds passage of the omnibus bill, it leaves out crucial investments that also support families with low incomes.

CLASP released new briefs on the justice and mental health provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA).

• The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: A Dangerous New Chapter in the War on Black Youth offers context on the youth criminalization crisis. It outlines a series of harmful elements in the BSCA and recommends actions that Congress, federal agency leaders, and community advocates can take to mitigate these harms.
• Its sister brief, The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act: Mental Health Wins Undermined for Black and Brown Youth, outlines a timeline of expected BSCA implementation and recommendations for mental health policies that center equity. 

In 2022, the narrative of wages driving high inflation was not true in the American economy. Corporations continued to set record-high profits, while workers continued to struggle.