President Joe Biden’s 2025 budget proposal is falling flat with Republicans as they declare the request dead on arrival in Congress and knocking what they call the administration’s “insatiable appetite for reckless spending” on Monday.
Republicans in both the House and Senate slammed what amounted to the White House’s wish list for fiscal 2025, which includes $7.3 trillion in spending and $5.5 trillion in tax revenue, bringing the deficit for 2025 to nearly $1.8 trillion.
“The price tag of President Biden’s proposed budget is yet another glaring reminder of this Administration’s insatiable appetite for reckless spending and the Democrats’ disregard for fiscal responsibility,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and the rest of the House Republican leadership team in a joint statement on Monday afternoon. “Biden’s budget doesn’t just miss the mark — it is a roadmap to accelerate America’s decline.”
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House Republicans released a budget last week that aims to cut $14 trillion in federal spending over the next decade by cutting federal benefits and social programs, underscoring the bitter divide on how both sides want to address the economy.
Biden’s budget proposes new spending on social programs to help the middle class that are paid for through higher taxes on big companies and high earners through about $5 trillion in new taxes over a decade. While the blueprint essentially is only a messaging exercise, fiscal hawks in the Senate are pointing to the 4.7% increase over the president’s budget last year.
“Joe Biden’s budget is not only over a trillion dollars more than what he asked for last year, it mixes in a mishmash of liberal wish list items, programs, and $5 trillion in tax increases while completely disregarding the needs of struggling Americans,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“When we are currently $35 trillion in debt, this budget is irresponsible and insane. We should call this what it is: a campaign talking point, not a serious budget proposal,” Schmitt added.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) underscored the budget blueprint serves as a “positive proactive vision” and a policy platform for Biden as he seeks reelection in November.
“President Biden’s budget highlights the sharp contrast between the Democrats’ positive, proactive vision and the Republicans’ negative, regressive vision for our country,” Schumer said in a floor speech on Monday. “Democrats are focused on growing the economy in a responsible way while making smart investments in the American people and our future.”
Democrats are applauding the document, which includes measures intended to help voters deal with higher costs, who have increasingly answered that they are dissatisfied with Biden’s handling of the economy in recent polling. Some of those initiatives he mentioned in his State of the Union speech last week, like expanded assistance to help patients buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act and new tax credits aimed to help some home buyers.
“Put simply, this budget tells working people and families: ‘We have your back—and we’re going to keep building a stronger future together,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee.
As much of the oxygen was spent Monday on Biden’s budget proposal for the fiscal 2025, lawmakers have only a matter of days to fund the remainder of their government funding bills for 2024, after Congress passed half their 12 spending bills last week. Congress has until March 22 to fund the more controversial of the 12 annual spending bills, including money for the Pentagon, but appropriators have yet to strike a deal.