The $895.2 billion proposal, while the highest number ever for defense, is constrained by budget caps agreed to last summer by President Biden and then-House Speaker and former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), which hold spending increases to 1 percent for the next two years.
While the request will certainly meet opposition from the Republican-controlled House, it offers a starting point for negotiations on the next fiscal year and outlines Biden’s priorities.
The Defense Department’s 2025 budget ask is nearly $850 billion, up from what is expected to be a $841 billion budget for fiscal 2024, which has been repeatedly delayed amid spending chaos in Congress.
The overall U.S. defense and national security budget also includes $25 billion for programs under the Department of Energy, as well as funding lines under the Department of Homeland Security, boosting the defense request top line to $895.2 billion.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks on Monday urged “Congress to come together” and pass the proposal.
“The world is watching what we do in this moment. It’s tracking whether we can unite and overcome the headwinds facing our national security and our democracy,” she told reporters Monday.
The budget includes a 4.5 percent pay raise for service members, close to $10 billion to bolster the U.S. and allied security presence in the Indo-Pacific and more than $147 billion to maintain troop readiness.
It also proposes $500 million in presidential drawdown authority — when the U.S. draws from its own weapons stocks to support an ally — for Taiwan, the first time the authority has ever been directed at a specific country.
Biden said in a statement that the budget request continues investments to “revitalize U.S. alliances and partnerships,” strengthen the military and counter Russia and China.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
