Biden will ask Congress for $32 billion to FUND the police to combat surging crime in his $5.8 TRILLION 2023 budget including a billionaire's tax and a raise from 21% to 28% in the corporate tax rate
Joe Biden's 2023 budget proposal includes $32 billion to fight rising crime in the U.S., according to two White House officials, despite years-long calls from the progressive wing of his party to defund police.
Massive crime spikes, particularly in cities, are one issue that could threaten Democrat's majority in the upcoming midterm elections. Republicans are effectively branding the issue as widely Democrat-caused due to calls to abolish police and rhetoric against law enforcement in general.
The officials tell Axios that Biden's budget proposal would require $30 billion in new spending over the next decade to expand law enforcement and increase crime prevention.
The president's proposal, which almost never makes it through Congress unaltered, will also include an increase of $31 billion in Defense spending, people familiar with the plan told The New York Times.
His total nation security spending request will amount to $813.3 billion, including $4.1 billion for the Pentagon for research and development of defense capabilities. Nearly $5 billion, according to the Times, will go toward a space-based missile warning system to detect threats and another $2 billion for a missile defense interceptor.
President Biden will detail on Monday his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2023 alongside newly sworn-in Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Shalanda Young. At the same time, his proposal is landing on Capitol Hill for review and approval.
But the $20.6 billion for Justice Department (DOJ) discretionary spending on federal law enforcement, crime prevention and intervention is likely to be a tension point with far-left wings of the Democratic Party who have called for complete abolition and defunding of police.
The new figure is $2 billion more than the $18.6 billion enacted by the DOJ this year.
Discretionary spending goes toward increasing resources for federal prosecutors and for state and local law enforcement – including hiring more police. Biden's proposal would include paying for nearly 300 new deputy marshals.
In Biden's first State of the Union address earlier this year, he vowed to fund police as cities in particular face massive crime spikes.
'We should all agree – the answer is not to defund the police, it's to fund the police,' he said during his remarks at the start of March. 'Fund them. Fund them. Fund them with resources and training.'
President Joe Biden will propose in his Fiscal Year 2023 budget unveiling Monday $32 billion in spending to fund law enforcement and crime prevention programs despite progressive calls to defund police
Crime has been on the rise, especially in cities, over the last two years. Pictured: Police in New York City patrol the entrance of the Museum of Modern Art after a multiple stabbing incident on March 12, 2022
The proposed increase for police, according to Axios, would double funding for community policing through the COPS Hiring Program as well as add $500 million for community violence interventions.
Biden has been trying to distance himself from progressive talking points degrading police and law enforcement, especially as voters voice concerns about feeling unsafe in their communities.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a retired police officer, hosted the president in his city in February to discus rising crime and how to address it.
One point likely to anger Republicans on Capitol Hill is the addition of 140 new Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) agents and investigators, which look into gun-trafficking and could crack down on the Second Amendment rights.
The proposal would also add 160 ATF investigators to work on gun-dealer compliance.
Crime in major cities in most areas have increased from 2021 to 2022. In New York City, felony assaults have risen by 18.3% in one year and rose by 17.4% in the same period for shooting victims
Biden's budget proposal, according to reports, will also include a 'billionaire's tax' to help pay for the $1 trillion deficit reduction.
The minimum tax on the wealthiest Americans would require households worth more than $100 million to pay at least 20 percent of their income.
The White House plans to unveil the 'Billionaire Minimum Income Tax' on Monday as part of Biden's 2023 budget plan, but it would have to pass through Congress to become law, and would likely face stiff opposition from some quarters.
The proposal aims to close a purported loophole that benefits the nation's 700-odd billionaires, many of whom have most of their wealth in stock, which is not taxed until it is sold for a profit.
A White House official told Axios: 'The President's budget will reflect three important values: fiscal responsibility, safety and security at home and abroad, and a commitment to building a better America.'
Presidents' budgets rarely are accepted in full and become law, but are a way for the executive branch to articulate spending priorities and detail the White House agenda as a whole.
New York City workers said they were fed up with the rise in crime and homelessness in the city. Of those 9,000 polled, 84% said conditions in the city have worsened in the last two years
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