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4/10/2021

Statement by Secretary Yellen on the President’s FY22 Discretionary Funding Request | U.S. Department of the Treas…

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
Statement by Secretary Yellen on the President’s FY22
Discretionary Funding Request
April 9, 2021

President Outlines Proposals to Support Fairness and Equity in Our Tax System, Invest in
Communities and Small Businesses, and Safeguard the U.S. Financial System from Illicit Actors
WASHINGTON -- The Biden-Harris Administration today submitted to Congress the
President’s priorities for fiscal year 2022 discretionary spending. The funding request invests
in the core foundations of our country’s strength and advances key Treasury Department
priorities, including ensuring that all Americans are treated fairly by our tax system,
expanding programs that o er loans to start-ups and small businesses to promote
a ordable housing and community revitalization projects, and closing loopholes that allow
illicit actors to evade scrutiny, mask their dealings, and shield illegal activity.
“If you’re an individual taxpayer or a small business, it’s much more di icult to navigate the
financial services sector – and America’s tax system – than if you’re a large company,” said
Secretary Yellen. “The President’s funding request makes things fairer. It injects capital into
communities where capital is usually hard to come by. It will make paying taxes a more
seamless process for millions of Americans. And it makes sure that corporations actually pay
what they owe.”
The President’s FY22 discretionary request:
Supports a Fair and Equitable Tax System. To ensure that all Americans are treated
fairly by our tax system, including that the wealthy and corporations comply with
existing laws, the 2022 discretionary request provides $13.2 billion for the Internal
Revenue Service (IRS), $1.2 billion (10.4 percent) above the 2021 enacted level. With this
funding, the IRS will increase oversight of high-income and corporate tax returns to
ensure compliance; provide new and improved online tools for taxpayers to
communicate with the IRS easily and quickly; and improve telephone and in-person
taxpayer customer service, including outreach and assistance to underserved
communities. In addition to increases for base IRS enforcement funding, the 2022
discretionary request provides an additional increase of $417 million in funding for tax
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Statement by Secretary Yellen on the President’s FY22 Discretionary Funding Request | U.S. Department of the Treas…

enforcement as part of a multiyear tax initiative that will increase tax compliance and
increase revenues. Altogether, the 2022 discretionary request will increase resources for
tax enforcement by $0.9 billion.
Invests in American Communities and Small Businesses. To support and empower the
nation’s most vulnerable communities, including many rural communities, the 2022
discretionary request provides $330 million, an increase of 22.2 percent above the 2021
enacted level for annual appropriations, to support expanding the role of Community
Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), which o er loans to start-ups and small
businesses to promote the production of a ordable housing and community
revitalization projects. This investment builds on an unprecedented level of support for
the CDFI industry in 2021, including more than $3 billion in direct funding, $9 billion for
investments in CDFIs and Minority Depository Institutions, and provisions in the
American Rescue Plan encouraging CDFI participation in the $10 billion State Small
Business Credit Initiative.
Increases Corporate Transparency and Safeguards the Financial System. Loopholes in
financial reporting requirements undermine corporate accountability and allow illicit
actors to evade scrutiny and mask their dealings. The 2022 discretionary request
provides $191 million for the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, $64 million above
the 2021 enacted level, to create a database that tracks the ownership and control of
certain companies and organizations and helps combat the use of complex corporate
structures to shield illegal activity.
These discretionary investments reflect only one element of the President’s broader agenda.
In the coming months, the Administration will release the President’s Budget, which will
present a unified, comprehensive plan to address the overlapping crises we face in a fiscally
and economically responsible way.
For more information on the President’s FY22 discretionary funding request, please visit:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/FY-2022-Discretionary-Request/.
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