Biden proposes $6 trillion U.S. budget

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden proposed a $6 trillion budget that immediately drew fire from Republicans over increasing government debt and for requesting tax hikes on corporations and the wealthiest Americans to pay for increased outlays.

Most of the top-line spending had been previously laid out in Biden proposals contained in the $2.3 trillion jobs and infrastructure bill, and the $1.7 trillion American families plan. Congress already passed, along party lines, a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue package.

Nevada Democrats in the Senate and House have praised the Biden proposals to increase spending for social programs.

Overall, the $1.9 trillion rescue bill would bring in more than $4 billion to Nevada for schools, health care and small business loans. Of the funds for Nevada, the rescue package will deliver $2.7 billion to the state government, counties and cities.

Republican Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada supported bipartisan COVID-19 bills last year, but he has joined other GOP lawmakers who questioned appropriations in the $1.9 trillion rescue plan that are unlikely to be spent during the upcoming fiscal year.

Republicans leaders also have called some spending proposals giveaways to liberal causes. They also oppose the increased deficit spending and a rollback of Trump-era tax cuts approved by GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate.

Big deficit

The administration’s own estimates project a $1.8 trillion deficit next year. Republicans say the deficit would add trillions to the overall debt that has already topped $28 trillion because of past spending that includes the COVID-19 relief packages and the GOP tax cut.

But Biden said the budget proposal is geared toward middle-class and working-class Americans hardest hit by the pandemic. In his budget message, he advocated growing the economy from the bottom up and middle out, with corporations paying their fair share.

“Our prosperity comes from the people who get up every day, work hard, raise their family, pay their taxes, serve their nation, and volunteer in their communities,” Biden said in his message to Congress in the budget document.

Nevada Democrats in Congress have backed Biden proposals to make the child tax cuts permanent, provide incentives to expand child care, provide education benefits from universal prekindergarten to two free years of community college.

In addition, he has proposed a jobs plan that would repair and update crumbling infrastructure, expand broadband access and provide updates for schools and wage incentives for elder care workers and teachers.

Starting point

Biden’s budget is merely a proposal and faces the scrutiny of Congress, which controls federal spending through legislation.

While some measures, such as traditional infrastructure projects on roads, bridges and rail, are favored by Democrats and Republicans alike, the GOP is negotiating to bring the cost of the jobs plan down.

But Biden’s budget blueprint focuses on issues that he campaigned on, such as addressing climate change and clean energy. As expected, no money for Yucca Mountain licensing is included.

Instead, the budget provides funds to support consent-based siting and interim storage for the nation’s used nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the budget still includes $1 billion for nuclear energy research and technologies to advance climate goals.

The blueprint also includes $19.7 billion for ongoing projects under the National Nuclear Security Administration, including funds to maintain activities like sustaining the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile at sites including the Nevada National Security Site north of Las Vegas.

Preparing for adversaries

Biden’s $715 billion request for the Pentagon would shift money from traditional weapons systems and focus on preparations to deter hostile moves from China and other countries with nuclear capabilities.

House Armed Services Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., said that the president’s budget “reflects the administration’s clear emphasis on China and Russia as key national security challenges.

The defense budget also includes a 2.7 percent pay hike for service members.

Nevada is home to four military installations: Creech and Nellis Air Force bases, Naval Air Station Fallon and the Hawthorne Army Depot. There are roughly 10,000 active-duty personnel stationed in Nevada, including more than 9,000 Air Force members.

Gun violence funding

The budget also includes $2.1 billion — an increase of $232 million over last year — for the Justice Department to address gun violence that has plagued the nation with mass shootings that include the Oct. 1, 2017, tragedy in Las Vegas.

Current and former Nevada lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, have urged federal help, although there is a sharp partisan divide on what should be done.

The budget also proposes $2.2 billion for Indian Health Services to help address past inequities. There is also money to improve and provide low-income housing and social programs.

Biden’s blueprint increases domestic spending by roughly 16 percent, with only a small increase for the Pentagon, which is sure to spark GOP political opposition in the House and the Senate.

In addition, an increase in $3 trillion in taxes by raising the corporate tax and those on people making more than $400,000 per year has already drawn an outcry from Republicans.

In negotiations with Republicans on the infrastructure and jobs bill, Biden has remained adamant that he opposes user fees, tolls and other revenue raising measures.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com. Follow on @garymartindc on Twitter.