Biden presented the 2025 budget project to Congress: it includes fewer resources for Colombia

The president of the United States, Joe Biden, presented his draft budget to Congress. This includes the figure of resources for Colombia in 2025, which corresponds to 413 million dollars, the lowest of his entire government. Even so, the country remains the main recipient of aid in the region.

The reduction, compared to the previous year, It is about 30 million dollars.

The White House asked the United States Congress to approve a budget of $7.3 trillion by fiscal year 2025.

The 188-page document does not present major changes compared to the budget requested 12 months ago for fiscal year 2024, which Congress has ignored.

In fact, Congress has not even approved the entire 2024 accounts yet, when the fiscal year began more than five months ago, on October 1, 2023.

In the document presented this Monday, March 11, Joe Biden’s government aims to finance social programs and tax reductions for middle and low incomes with a tax increase on the rich and large companies (from the current 15% to 21%). .

To do this, it will allocate Additional $20 billion to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS, in English), an agency whose funding has become an ongoing dispute between Republicans and Democrats.

The budget proposes a debt reduction of about three trillion over the next decade, although the annual deficit will continue growing by about 1.6 billion.

The White House also plans a strong investment in the real estate market, both in tax aid for new buyers and tenants, as well as for housing construction, to address the increase in costs.

The bills propose aid for families with children and approve 12 weeks of paid paternity and maternity leave, as well as medical leave.

The document also includes $1.5 billion to “counter the Kremlin,” and emphasizes the need to approve the additional budget already requested for Ukraine and Israel.

“The United States will no longer be able to provide support to Ukraine to meet its needs on the battlefield while defending itself against Russian attacks every day.“said the White House.

A large part of the budget is allocated to the Government’s large social programs, such as Medicare, Medicaid or ‘Obamacare’, as well as public Social Security pensions.

In addition, it seeks to lower drug costs, with special emphasis on strengthening the maximum limit for insulin of $35 per month, which has become one of Biden’s most notable policy proposals.

Likewise, there is an increase in allocations for green programs and to combat the climate crisis.

In fact, ask for a quote 11.000 billion dollars for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an agency that Congress cut $1 billion to 9,200 by 2024.

Leaders of the Republican Party, who control the US House of Representatives, have already reacted to the budget request by saying that it represents “a road map to accelerate the decline of the United States.”

“Another glaring reminder of this Administration’s insatiable appetite for reckless spending and Democrats’ disregard for fiscal responsibility,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican, said in a statement.

Johnson and Democrats are currently negotiating part of the budget for fiscal year 2024, with the deadline of March 22 after having approved four extensions to avoid an administrative closure.