The Biden administration Friday unveiled a $1.5 trillion partial budget request for the next fiscal year, calling for increases across a range of domestic programs aimed at fighting poverty and climate change, while keeping defense spending relatively flat.
The 41-page document lies out the White House’s spending priorities, and while it’s up to Congress to set exact spending levels and programs, the budget is expected to be received favorably by the Democratic majorities on Capitol Hill.
The administration’s budget blueprint does not contain details of the president’s $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan, nor does it lay out projected spending on programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Details on those and the presidents proposed tax increases are promised later this spring.
The budget numbers released Friday would increase overall spending on discretionary programs by $118 billion, or 8.4% above last year’s levels. Defense spending would remain essentially flat, with an increase of $12.3 billion, or 1.7%, while other domestic programs get a 15.9% boost.
