Today the White House released President Biden’s budget proposal, including a proposal for $1.6 trillion in discretionary spending for FY 2025, which begins on October 1, 2024.
While the larger budgets makes some important strides forward, this discretionary proposal won’t provide security we need, in terms of costs of living, quality of life, climate change, or securing peace:
According to figures released by the administration, militarism and its support systems (such as veterans’ programs) account for $1.1 trillion in the proposal, while domestic spending programs account for less than half that, at $499 billion.
That means that $69 out of every $100 federal dollars in this proposal go toward militarization and its support systems, including the military, homeland security, and veterans affairs.
And it leaves just $31 out of every $100 for everything else in the discretionary budget: from housing programs to public education, public health, environmental protection, and more.
According to the administration’s figures, militarized funding in the proposal totals $1.1 trillion for FY 2025, and includes:
$850 billion for the Pentagon
$34 billion for nuclear weapons
$11.6 billion in international military aid (so far)
$62 billion in non-emergency funding for the Department of Homeland Security, including $9.3 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and $17 billion …read more
Source:: Institute for Policy Studies
