FY25 Budget Hearings Begin as Congress Tackles Foreign Aid, Defense Spending
The FY25 budget hearings have kicked off, with President Biden's budget proposal now in Congress' hands. This outlines the administration's priorities ahead of the election. Meanwhile, appropriators are wrapping up the remaining FY24 bills, with the Homeland Security and UN funding under SFOPS proving contentious.
Speaker Johnson has made it clear that foreign aid will be a standalone bill, not bundled with government funding. She's even considering splitting Ukraine and Israel aid into separate bills. The Congressional Budget Office has weighed in, stating that nondefense programs won't face automatic cuts, but defense programs could see a 1% reduction, around $11 billion.
President Biden has already signed a minibus package containing six FY24 appropriations bills. Now, discharge petitions for bipartisan House and Senate foreign aid bills are live, with 21 and 177 signatures respectively, pushing for a vote. The current continuing resolution (CR) expires in just one week.
With the FY25 budget hearings underway and FY24 appropriations nearing completion, Congress faces decisions on foreign aid, defense spending, and the upcoming CR expiration. The contentious Homeland Security and UN funding bills under SFOPS remain a key focus.
