President Joe Biden’s 2023 budget request to Congress is expected to include more than $770 billion for defense spending, according to a report from Reuters’ Mike Stone Wednesday.
The topline figure, which is still under negotiation, includes funding for both the military and for weapons-related activities at the Department of Energy. If the number holds, it would exceed the record defense budget requests made during the administration of former President Donald Trump.
Signed into law in December, the National Defense Authorization Act for the current fiscal year totaled $768 billion, roughly $20 billion more than the Biden White House requested. Congress is expected to add another $5 billion or so in its 2022 budget bill, which is expected to become law next month.
Liberals disappointed: While defense hawks and military contractors are no doubt pleased with the news, progressive Democrats were quick to express their disappointment with the possibility of a military budget that continues to increase. “This is absurd,” tweeted Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “It's time to stop pumping billions more each year into the bloated Pentagon budget. We can and must cut defense spending and invest in our communities, families, and climate.”
