Biden’s $1.5T 2022 budget includes 16 percent domestic spending boost

President Joe Biden’s first budget calls for massive boosts to low-income schools, public health programs and fighting climate change, plus a slight Pentagon funding bump that is unlikely to fly with many in Congress.

The request unveiled by the White House on Friday asks Congress to provide non-defense programs with a total of $769 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, in addition to $753 billion for national defense programs, including cash for overseas activities.

That amounts to a 16 percent increase over current funding levels for domestic programs — bringing that total to 3.3 percent of GDP — while providing just a 1.7 percent increase for the military. The proposed slowdown in military growth is likely to kick off battles with defense hawks in Congress, as well as progressives like Senate Budget Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) who are calling for a 10 percent cut in Pentagon spending.

Biden’s request calls for infusing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with $8.7 billion — the largest budget hike for the agency in two decades. It seeks a $20 billion increase for the Title I program for low-income schools, bringing the program’s overall total to $36.5 billion. And it proposes funneling $14 billion toward climate change investments, including $1.7 billion to improve the energy efficiency of homes, schools and federal buildings.