The White House budget serves more as a marker of administration priorities than a policy blueprint destined to be signed into law. It would invest heavily in Biden's top priority areas including infrastructure, education, research, public health, paid family leave and childcare.
But it also comes as Republicans have ramped up sharp criticism of Biden's goals and as near-term economic data has served to add fuel to the arguments that Biden's proposals are simply too grandiose and could overheat the economy. Biden is asking Congress for $932 billion for discretionary, non-defense programs for fiscal year 2022 -- a significant increase from last year. The President has proposed $756 billion in defense funding, which is also an uptick from last year.
Cecilia Rouse, the chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, argued on Friday the country needs to make up for"decades of underinvestment in important parts of our country." - $6.5 billion to launch the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health , a new program aimed at driving innovation in health research that will focus initially on diseases like cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer's- $10.7 billion in discretionary funding in the Department of Health and Human Services, an increase of $3.9 billion from 2021 enacted levels.
- $1 billion for Department of Justice Violence Against Women Act programs, which is nearly double 2021 enacted levels