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Biden's budget offers a preview of what a 2024 campaign looks like


President Joe Biden speaks about his 2024 budget proposal at the Finishing Trades Institute, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Joe Biden speaks about his 2024 budget proposal at the Finishing Trades Institute, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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President Joe Biden’s budget has little chance of becoming law with a split Congress but could serve as an indicator of what’s to come in his expected reelection campaign.

Biden unveiled his $6.8 trillion proposal dictating his vision on how the government should spend and increase taxes on the country’s highest earners and companies to pay for expansions of programs and reduce the deficit.

The White House said the president’s plan would reduce the deficit by about $3 trillion over the next 10 years, mostly financed through increased taxes on people making over $400,000 a year and corporations along with higher rates for Medicare taxes for high-income earners and on businesses’ overseas income.

Biden’s approach to tax rates is consistent with his 2020 campaign and his first term, where he has called for the upper class and businesses to “pay their fair share.”

MAGA Republicans don’t want things that particularly are going to help working families — like healthcare, education, public safety — which are going to raise costs on folks,” the president said in his speech.

His budget also gives an indication of what policies he is likely to push in a reelection campaign. Many of the proposals build on past legislative accomplishments like the infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Biden can also point to his budget that calls for increased defense spending and more financial engagement with the Indo-Pacific region to counter China to defend himself from Republican attacks of being too soft on China.

“He's setting the table. Announcements of budgets are definitely about setting the campaign agenda,” said Raymond La Raja, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and associate director of the UMass Poll. “We already know from the State of the Union speech that he's going to go after the Republicans for taking away Social Security, Medicare and so he's, he says this budget shores that up.”

He directly challenged Republicans to release their own budget proposal and tried to draw a stark contrast between his plans and how he believes the GOP’s plans would hurt Americans and the economy.

I’m ready to meet with the speaker at any time — tomorrow, if he has his budget,” Biden said of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., during his speech Thursday in Philadelphia.

Biden also highlighted his plans for Social Security and Medicare and framed himself as a defender of the programs who is protecting them from Republican attempts to cut benefits. McCarthy has said cuts to the programs are off the table in the ongoing debt limit discussions, but Biden has harped on congressional Republicans’ past support for those measures and a policy plan from Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., that would sunset all federal programs after five years. Scott has altered his policy proposal after attacks from the White House and Democrats leading up to the midterms, though that has not stopped Democrats from using it as messaging against the GOP.

“MAGA Republicans’ proposal is not an answer on Social Security, and my budget will not cut benefits,” Biden said. “(It) definitely won’t sunset programs, like some of my MAGA Republican friends want to do.”

The White House has also highlighted reducing the deficit in the rollout of Biden’s financial plans for the country. Biden’s budget will reduce the deficit by nearly $3 trillion over 10 years in an appeal to moderate and independent voters.

Reducing the deficit was another area where the president sought to contrast himself with Republicans, who have called for reducing government spending as the path to bringing it down.

It's more broadly a message to say, ‘I'm a reliable steward of the nation's finances, the nation's money,’” La Raja said. “That's a very centrist message because the Republicans are going to be hammering the Democrats on being profligate and he's trying to make the point that, ‘hey, keep me in office and I'll make sure to manage your money well.’”

Biden has not yet officially announced a campaign for a second term but has said he intends to on multiple occasions. He is not expected to receive a serious primary challenge from any high-profile Democrats, but author Marianna Williamson has started a campaign seeking the party’s nomination.

“He seems to be on top of his game. It’s not going to be a cakewalk getting to reelection, but he's doing all the things I expect, and his messaging is very tight. Democrats are pretty much right behind him from Congress,” La Raja said. “The strategy is to just put this stuff out there and let Republicans self-destruct.”

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