WASHINGTON — The Senate will seek spending increases of about 3.4 percent for defense and 2.7 percent for nondefense programs next year, under a deal reached by top Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the Senate Budget Committee. That will surely clash with the House of Representatives, which is seeking lower spending in both categories.
Under a agreement reached last year Under a proposal from President Joe Biden and then-Chairman Kevin McCarthy, spending on defense and nondefense programs would increase by 1 percent in fiscal year 2025, bringing the total to about $780.4 billion for nondefense and $895.2 billion for defense.
Some senators said the increase would not keep up with inflation and would mean cutting many programs.
The bipartisan Senate deal unveiled this week provides $13.5 billion more in emergency funding for non-defense programs and $21 billion more for defense programs than the Biden-McCarthy deal provided.
Meanwhile, Republicans in the House of Representatives to pursue a more austere policywhich amounts to a 1% increase for defense, but significant cuts in other areas, amounting to an average cut of about 6%. Although some programs would be cut much more and some GOP priorities not at all.
While some Republican senators advocated for more defense spending, Democrats pushed for similar treatment for non-defense programs.
“I have made it clear that we cannot afford to neglect addressing the inadequate funding levels we face and that I will absolutely not let urgent non-defense needs slide,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Budget Committee.
Murray is negotiating with Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the committee, over discretionary spending for next year. Such spending does not include mandatory spending on key social protection programs, namely Social Security and Medicare, which account for about two-thirds of annual federal spending and do not require an annual vote by Congress.
Collins said the U.S. faces one of the most dangerous security environments in 50 years and that threats from Iran, Russia and China “must be met with a determination to invest in a stronger national defense.”
“Under this agreement, additional funding for our military would go hand in hand with efforts to stem the flow of fentanyl at our borders, invest in biomedical research, and preserve affordable housing programs,” Collins said.
The Republican-led House has moved faster on spending than the Senate. It has passed four of the 12 annual spending bills so far, while the Senate has yet to pass any. However, all four House bills have drawn veto threats from the White House, broad Democratic opposition, and have no chance of passing the Senate in their current form.
That means a prolonged, months-long battle that will likely require one or more emergency bills to keep the federal government fully open when the new budget year begins on Oct. 1.
With elections looming and lawmakers spending so much time away from Washington, Congress isn’t expected to push final spending bills across the finish line until after the election. Final approval could also be delayed until next year if one party wins the White House and both chambers of Congress.
The agreement reached by Senate Budget Committee leaders on spending comes as the committee was set to take up its first three spending measures on Thursday.