The first Human Genome Project line item in the cited 1988 budget submission came from President Ronald Reagan’s administration.
The line item marked a major transition from scientific discussion to federal budgeting. DOE officials, led in this effort by Charles DeLisi and supported by Alvin Trivelpiece, first used reprogrammed funds to begin work in 1986. The effort then moved into the administration’s formal budget process before Congress approved funding.
Historical accounts sometimes describe the timing using fiscal-year labels, including references to Reagan’s 1987 budget submission or a following-year line item. That accounting-language variation can make the dates look inconsistent, but it does not change the president identified in the question: Ronald Reagan.
Congressional support was also crucial. New Mexico senator Pete Domenici backed the DOE initiative, and Congress added comparable funding to the NIH budget. The project later became a joint DOE–NIH effort and officially began in 1990, with an initial plan to finish in 15 years.