Among Biden’s first budget priorities: Climate, countering China

The US president’s first proposed budget marks sharp changes from Donald Trump’s spending priorities.

US President Joe Biden’s first annual budget plan unveiled on Friday asks Congress to shift defence spending to counter China, and sharply increase government funding to combat climate change and gun violence. The $1.5 trillion budget proposes an eight percent increase in spending in the current year to invest in public transportation and environmental clean-ups while shifting priorities within defence spending. Biden’s proposal, which serves as a blueprint for actual spending decisions by Congress, would slash funding for former President Donald Trump’s border wall and expand funding for background checks on gun sales.