finance
White House Budget Proposal: $1.5T for Defense, 10% Cuts to Select Domestic Programs
The White House has proposed increasing defense spending to nearly $1.5 trillion for the next budget year, including $350 billion through a separate bill. The plan includes about a 10% cut to health research, heating assistance, and other domestic programs, excluding mandatory spending such as Social Security and Medicare.
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The White House has proposed increasing defense spending to nearly $1.5 trillion for the next budget year, including $350 billion through a separate bill. The plan includes about a 10% cut to health research, heating assistance, and other domestic programs, excluding mandatory spending such as Social Security and Medicare.
An effort to ramp up U.S. weapons production and build more ships, planes and drones will require a massive upfront investment, as testified by officials before a House committee on Wednesday. The White House is calling for about $1.1 trillion for defense through the regular appropriations process, which typically requires support from both parties for approval.
An additional $350 billion would come through a separate bill that Republicans can accomplish on their own, through party-line majority votes.
Officials noted concerns for U.S. national security. Funding for the ongoing conflict would come through an emergency supplemental spending bill on top of next year's defense increase. However, no estimate was provided for the cost.
The proposal calls for cuts of about 10% overall to health research, heating assistance, and other domestic programs, though mandatory spending programs such as Social Security and Medicare are excluded from these reductions. Among the eliminated programs is the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
These cuts come amid rising energy prices, with gas prices increasing more than 21% last month and home energy prices rising over 30%, according to the Department of Labor. The defense budget increase and domestic cuts were discussed during a House committee hearing chaired by Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas).
Arrington stated that President Trump inherited a "complete and utter mess" in January of last year and has since secured the border, cut taxes, and constrained nondefense spending. In contrast, Democratic lawmakers expressed concerns about the budget's impact on health care and domestic support.
