Senate’s $3.5T budget: What you need to know
WASHINGTON - House and Senate Democrats hope to pass a $3.5 trillion, 10-year cascade budget this fall made up of federal resources, aiming historic sums at family support, health and education programs and an aggressive drive to heal the climate.
Many of its proposals would be financed by raising taxes on the wealthy and large corporations while sparing people earning under $400,000 annually, an oft-repeated Biden pledge and liberal goal. The $3.5 trillion budget is at the heart of Biden’s "Build Back Better" vision for helping families and combating climate change.
Here’s the current breakdown of the budget framework’s main elements:
$135 billion to the Agriculture Committee
- Agriculture conservation, drought, and forestry programs to help reduce carbon emissions and prevent wildfires
- Rural development and rural co-op clean energy investments
- Agricultural climate research and research infrastructure
- Civilian Climate Corps funding
- Child nutrition
- Debt relief
RELATED: Biden infrastructure agenda advances as House passes $3.5 trillion budget
$332 billion to the Banking Committee
- Creation and preservation of affordable housing by making historic investments in programs like the Housing Trust Fund, HOME, the Capital Magnet Fund, and rural housing
- Improve housing affordability and equity by providing down payment assistance, rental assistance, and other homeownership initiatives
- Community investment, development and revitalization through initiatives like
- Community Land Trusts, investments in CDBG, zoning, land use, and transit improvements and creating healthy and sustainable housing
- Public Housing Capital Investments and Sustainability
$83 billion to the Commerce Committee
- Investments in technology, transportation, and more
- Research, manufacturing, and economic development
- Coastal resiliency, healthy oceans investments, including the National Oceans and
- Coastal Security Fund
- National Science Foundation research and technology directorate
$198 billion to the Energy Committee
- Clean Electricity Payment Program
- Consumer rebates to weatherize and electrify homes
- Financing for domestic manufacturing of clean energy and auto supply chain technologies
- Federal procurement of energy-efficient materials
- Climate research
- Research infrastructure for DOE National Labs
- Hard Rock mining
- Department of Interior programs
$67 billion to the Environment and Public Works Committee
- Clean Energy Technology Accelerator that would fund low-income solar and other climate-friendly technologies
- Environmental justice investments in clean water affordability and access, healthy ports and climate equity
- EPA climate and research programs
- Federal investments in energy-efficient buildings and green materials
- Appalachian Regional Commission and Economic Development Administration economic development and transition programs
- Investments in clean vehicles
- Methane polluter fee to reduce carbon emissions
$726 billion to the committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
- Universal Pre-K for 3 and 4-year olds
- Child care for working families
- Tuition-free community college
- Investments in HBCUs, MSIs, HSIs, TCUs, and ANNHIs
- Increase the maximum Pell grant award
- School infrastructure, student success grants, and educator investments
- Investments in primary care, including Community Health Centers, the National Health
- Service Corps, the Nurse Corps, and Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical
- Education
- Health equity (maternal, behavioral, and racial equity health investments)
- Pandemic preparedness
- Workforce development and job training
- Labor enforcement and penalties
- Civilian Climate Corps funding
- Research infrastructure, including for HBCUs, MSIs, HSIs, TCUs, and ANNHIs
RELATED: Sinema dashes House Dems' hopes for $3.5T infrastructure bill
$37 billion to the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Electrifying the federal vehicle fleet (USPS and Non-USPS)
- Electrifying and rehabilitating federal buildings
- Improving our cybersecurity infrastructure
- Border management investments
- Federal investments in green materials procurement
- Resilience
$107 billion to the Judiciary Committee
- Lawful permanent status for qualified immigrants
- Investments in smart and effective border security measures
- Community Violence Intervention Initiative
$20.5 billion to Indian Affairs Committee
- Native health programs and facilities
- Native education programs and facilities
- Native American housing programs
- Native energy programs
- Native resilience and climate programs
- BIA programs and facilities
- Native language programs
- Native Civilian Climate Corps
$25 billion to Small Business Committee
- Small business access to credit, investment, and markets
$18 billion to Veterans Affairs Committee
- Upgrades to VA facilities
FOX Business and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.