President Barack Obama released his 2012 budget proposal Monday -- $3.73 trillion in spending for FY 2012, a reduction of just under 2.5 percent of spending in 2011.
With Obamas proposed budget continuing to add to the national debt, Republicans across Florida hammered the proposal. Accompanied by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Budget Director Jack Lew, Obama unveiled his proposal at Parkville Middle School and Center of Technology outside Baltimore, Md., and he repeated themes and phrases from his State of the Union address earlier in the month.
Over the last few weeks Ive traveled the country, talking about what we need to do to win the future; talked about the need to invest in innovation, so that the next big idea is discovered here in the United States of America, said Obama.
Ive talked about the need to invest in high-speed rail and high-speed Internet, so that companies can move goods and information faster than ever. And this week, Ill be talking about the need to invest in education -- in places like Parkville --so that every American is equipped to compete with any worker, anywhere in the world.
These investments are an essential part of the budget my administration is sending to Congress, Obama continued. Because Im convinced that if we out-build and out-innovate and out-educate, as well as out-hustle the rest of the world, the jobs and industries of our time will take root here in the United States. Our people will prosper and our country will succeed.
But Im also convinced that the only way we can make these investments in our future is if our government starts living within its means, if we start taking responsibility for our deficits, hen added.Thats why, when I was sworn in as president, I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term.The budget Im proposing today meets that pledge -- and puts us on a path to pay for what we spend by the middle of the decade. We do this in part by eliminating waste and cutting whatever spending we can do without.
Obama called for a domestic spending freeze for the next five years, a move he argued would lower the deficit by more than $400 billion. He also called for government reform and promised to veto any congressional earmarks.
With his fellow Democrats controlling the U.S Senate and Republicans in charge of the U.S. House, the president reached out to both parties, calling on legislators to reach across the aisle to work on the budget.
Im also looking forward to working with members of both parties to take steps beyond this budget freeze -- because cutting annual domestic spending wont be enough to meet our long-term fiscal challenges, the president said.
As the bipartisan fiscal commission concluded, the only way to truly tackle our deficit is to cut excessive spending wherever we find it -- in domestic spending, defense spending, health care spending, and spending through tax breaks and loopholes. So what weve done here is make a down payment, but theres going to be more work that needs to be done, and its going to require Democrats and Republicans coming together to make it happen.
Obama pledged to continue to fight for education funding, calling it vital for the nations future.
While its absolutely essential to live within our means, while we are absolutely committed to working with Democrats and Republicans to find further savings and to look at the whole range of budget issues, we cant sacrifice our future in the process, said Obama. Even as we cut out things that we can afford to do without, we have a responsibility to invest in those areas that will have the biggest impact in our future -- and thats especially true when it comes to education.
Republicans in Florida took aim at the presidents proposed budget, noting that it continued to rely on deficit spending.
The 2011 deficit now stands at an estimated $1.65 trillion while the 2012 deficit appears to be shaping up around $1.1 trillion. This will mean for four years in a row the federal government will run up deficits of greater than $1 trillion.
President Obamas budget is not serious about reducing the deficit, noted former House Majority Leader Adam Hasner on Monday. Hasner, who is contemplating taking on Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, added the nation needed leaders wholl confront entitlement reform.
Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio scorched the proposed budget in a statement released on Monday morning.
Sadly, the president has missed a golden opportunity to have an adult conversation with the American people about the seriousness and urgency of our debt crisis, said Rubio. The presidents budget falls far short of tackling our national debt in a serious way.Although we face a $1.6 trillion deficit and a staggering national debt that exceeds $14 trillion, the presidents proposal would add $7.2 trillion of new debt over the next 10 years. The fact that the presidents 10-year proposed savings is less than this years budget deficit alone, is proof that this is a budget that cannot be taken seriously.
While the president insists he will take the commendable step of vetoing earmarks, his silence on entitlement reform, the absence of meaningful spending cuts and his reliance on anti-competitive tax increases will cause more economic uncertainty, stifle job creation and keep America on a path toward a diminished future, added Rubio.
Todays excruciating problems are the legacy of decades of profligate spending by both parties. We have a job-crushing debt because Washington has repeatedly postponed the tough decisions for someone else to deal with down the road. The American people have every reason to be disappointed by the presidents budget and by Washington politicians who either dont understand the seriousness of our fiscal crisis, or who are simply not willing to confront this challenge head-on.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
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