Pentagon Increases In 2022 Could Almost Fund Build Back Better

By Lindsay Koshgarian, National Priorities Project

Remember Build Back Better? Way back in December, President Biden and advocates across a wide spectrum of issues fought to fund the president’s signature plan, which included major new investments in clean energy, child care and preschool, health care, and financial help for struggling families. It ultimately failed due to one Senator’s claimed concerns about spending and the national debt.

That was a whole six months ago. In that time, the president and Congress together have moved forward on $143 billion in increased funding for the Pentagon and war.

The annual cost of Build Back Better? That would have been $170 billion per year.

The Pentagon increases have been a joint project of Congress and the administration.

First, Congress approved a FY 2022 Pentagon budget of $782 billion, $40 billion higher than the $742 billion FY 2021 budget that was in effect in December.

Then, President Biden released his budget request, asking for $813 billion in FY 2023 for the Pentagon and war. While the president’s request has no legal authority, this year it’s expected that Congress will approve that much, and more. That brought the total increases in Pentagon spending to $71 billion compared to December.