President Joe Biden honored fallen U.S. troops on Memorial Day with a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. He was joined by First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and her husband, Douglas Emhoff. The day after Memorial Day, Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached an agreement to raise America’s debt limit, which awaits approval by Congress. The agreement would keep nondefense spending flat in the 2024 fiscal year and increase it by 1% the following year, while allowing for 3% defense growth in fiscal 2024 and another 1% in fiscal 2025. Biden has overseen a time of relative peace for the U.S. military after ending the war in Afghanistan. However, the chaotic evacuation in August 2021 drew criticism, and the U.S. is now leading a coalition of allies in aiding Ukraine against the Russian invasion.
President Joe Biden marked Memorial Day on Monday by paying tribute to the generations of U.S. troops who died fighting for their country. The President, along with First Lady Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Harris’ husband, Douglas Emhoff, participated in the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
The 155th National Memorial Day Observance was a solemn occasion, with President Biden taking a moment of contemplation in front of the wreath, which was adorned with flowers and a red, white, and blue bow. He later bowed his head in prayer, paying his respects to the fallen heroes.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the United States, honoring America’s fallen service members. This year, it fell a day after President Biden and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a final agreement on a deal that would raise America’s debt limit. The deal awaits approval by Congress.
As it stands, the agreement would keep nondefense spending roughly flat in the 2024 fiscal year and increase it by 1% the following year. The measure would allow for 3% defense growth in fiscal 2024, to $886 billion, and then another 1% in fiscal 2025, to $895 billion.
President Biden has taken pride in his administration’s oversight of a time of relative peace for the U.S. military after two decades of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. It has been nearly 21 months since he ended the United States’ longest war in Afghanistan, making good on a campaign promise to end a 20-year-old “forever war” that cost the lives of more than 2400 U.S. service members.
However, the war in Afghanistan ended in deadly and chaotic fashion on Biden’s watch in August 2021, with critics blasting the administration’s handling of the evacuation of some 120,000 American citizens, Afghans, and others as poorly planned and badly executed.
Last month, the Biden administration released a review of the last days of the war, largely blaming his Republican predecessor, President Donald Trump, and asserting that Biden was “severely constrained” by Trump’s decisions.
The U.S. now finds itself leading a coalition of allies pouring tens of billions of dollars in military and economic aid into Ukraine as it tries to repel the Russian invasion, which appears to have no end in sight.
While making clear that he has no desire for U.S. troops to enter the conflict, President Biden has maintained that he sees the Russian effort to grab territory as an affront to international norms and has vowed to help Kyiv win, sending artillery, tanks, and drones and recently agreeing to allow allies to train Ukrainian forces on U.S. soil.
On Memorial Day, President Biden reminded the nation of the sacrifice made by generations of U.S. troops who died fighting for their country. He honored their memory and expressed his gratitude for their service and dedication to the United States.
