President Joe Biden is asking for no new money for the border wall in his first budget request, reversing a major policy of former President Donald Trump.
In a fiscal 2022 discretionary funding request, Biden asks for $1.2 billion for border-security technology and $861 million in aid to Central America, “as part of a comprehensive strategy to address the root causes of irregular migration” from the region to the U.S.
But money for the border wall is left out, in a move likely to infuriate conservatives.
“The discretionary request includes no additional funding for border wall construction and proposes the cancellation of prior-year balances that are unobligated at the end of 2021,” say budget documents released by the White House.
Biden on Friday called for a boost of 16% in non-defense spending in the next fiscal year, as part of a proposed $1.5 trillion budget. Defense spending would rise by far less, just 1.6%.
A more-comprehensive budget is expected from the White House later this spring. Friday’s request begins Congress’s annual appropriations process, requiring lawmakers to pass funding bills before Oct. 1.
