Obama team draws sharp Hill questions on budget

[The Northerner]

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's $3.8 trillion budget outline drew bipartisan fire on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, with Republicans complaining it doesn't address deficits soon enough and raises taxes too much. Democrats balked at some of Obama's spending cuts.

It was a rocky reception for the day-old document, underscoring election-year restlessness and rising public anger at bailouts, bonuses and ballooning deficits. The complaints across party lines suggested it could be difficult for Obama to win support for key parts of his budget, even from members of his own party.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., called Obama's proposal to cancel NASA's manned moon return program shortsighted. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., derided his proposal to include Army Corps projects in a proposed partial three-year spending freeze. Sen. Jay Rockfeller, D-W.Va., said environmental priorities in the budget would unfairly burden coal states such as his.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, under grilling by the Senate Finance Committee, said that despite the lively crossfire he could see a bipartisan consensus building that "deficits matter, tax cuts are not free."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100202/ap_on_bi_ge/us_obama_budget

[mdmc]

1. sure don't like geithner

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. Best budget I've seen in 7 years.

And I'm jaded.

[Hulk]

3. Simple...instead of letting the tax breaks for the rich expire...

...how about stopping them NOW!...and in fact, how about bringing them back to the tax rates before alzhiemer ronny?? That ought to please these f*cktards.

repugs are such a sick, pathetic bunch of bastards. I can't just "pity them"....I hate them as well. Sorry God...I just can't do it!

[Kingofalldems]

4. Thanks Rod!

[The Northerner]

5. Who's Rod?

[Sherman A1]

6. I think this is a good thing.

I think the budget process should be full of tough and sharp questions. In theory this is what we pay these folks to do. This may be a great budget, a poor budget an okay budget, but it needs to be reviewed.

[Skink]

7. since we don't plan on containing healthcare costs now raising taxes is the only option.