Biden releases federal budget proposal

Congressional budget caps from 2011 expire at the end of this fiscal year, and the White House is proposing a big domestic spending binge. President Joe Biden’s proposed $1.5 trillion partial budget prioritizes education, healthcare, housing, and the environment while leaving defense spending roughly unchanged. The White House is requesting an 8.4 percent increase in discretionary spending, including a 41 percent increase to the Education Department, a 23 percent increase to Health and Human Services, and a 15 percent increase to Housing and Urban Development. That represents about a third of Congress’ annual federal budget, while mandatory spending like Medicaid and Social Security make up the rest.

What happens next? The divided Congress is unlikely to approve Biden’s plan as it currently stands. Republicans are already calling for a bigger increase in defense spending: Biden’s budget requests a 1.6 percent increase. The White House will release a more complete budget proposal later this spring, as this first draft does not include mandatory spending, tax revenue, or the president’s new infrastructure plan.

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s report in The Stew on what’s in Biden’s infrastructure bill.