President Barack Obama, stepping up lobbying for his record $3.5 trillion budget, called on Tuesday for an end to finger-pointing and challenged Congress to offer constructive changes. "With the magnitude of the challenges we face right now, what we need in Washington are not more political tactics, we need more good ideas," he said after a White House meeting with fiscally-conservative Democratic lawmakers who have voiced concern about deficit spending.
"We dont need more point scoring, we need more problem solving," he told reporters. Obamas intensified effort to sell his budget came as Republicans complained that his proposed record spending, much of it aimed at lifting the US economy out of deep recession, costs too much. Some of Obamas own Democrats, who expanded their hold on Congress in the November election that brought him to power, are also upset with provisions on farm subsidies, tax deductions, industrial emissions and some other items.
The budget proposal Obama put forward last month, which projects a $1.75 trillion deficit next year, lays out ambitious plans to expand healthcare, upgrade education, move the United States toward energy independence and combat global warming.
Nearly two months after taking office, Obama is also trying to distance his economic and budget plans from mounting public anger over costly government bailouts. He assured Americans on Monday he shared their outrage over hefty bonuses paid to executives of AIG, a giant insurer receiving up to $180 billion in federal rescue aid, and would try to yank back the rewards.
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