Department of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh is scheduled to testify May 17 at a House Appropriations Committee meeting to discuss the $14.6 billion DOL budget for 2023, as well as budgetary goals to promote empowerment and equity within the workforce.
Walsh will also discuss DOL attempts to "harness the economy" despite post-COVID economic uncertainty, according to a press release.
“President Biden’s 2023 budget request of $14.6 billion in discretionary resources for the Department of Labor is an explicit value statement on empowering workers morning, noon and night," Walsh said in a statement. "It calls for investments in the foundations of our country’s strength – our workers, their families and their communities. The budget delivers on the heart of the president’s economic agenda, seeks to advance equity and harnesses our economy to lift our people toward good middle-class jobs."
The DOL plans to allocate $2.2 billion for worker protection agencies, $303 million for education and apprenticeship initiatives, $100 million for training for high-demand jobs, $100 million for a new occupational readiness program, $3.4 billion for improving unemployment insurance, and additional funds for nondiscrimination efforts and mental health initiatives, the release stated.
Bloomberg Law reports that the 2023 DOL budget at $14.6 billion includes a modest 1.5% increase over the $14.4 billion allocated in 2022.
In March, the White House claimed the 2023 budget “advances equity” and invests $2.2 billion in DOL worker protection agencies “to ensure workers are treated with dignity and respect in the workplace,” according to a press release.
