The fight over Obama’s 2013 budget has begun. The debate shows a widening gap between the parties, while Republicans and Democrats alike show disappointment in the president.
Obama made many promises during his 2008 campaign to fix the budget, but he has not followed through on all of them.
Obama’s budget proposal will call for $3.8 trillion dollars in spending, exceeding his promise of annual deficits of $600 billion a year. The proposal includes budget reductions to government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency. Other agencies like the Commerce Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development are asked to provide more funding for government.
The controversial proposition has the GOP calling Obama’s budget class warfare. However, with both parties in disagreement regarding how to fix the budget, both the support and opposition agree that the budget has little chance of passing Congress.
Tim Horsey, a sophomore majoring in journalism at the University of Maryland, shared a sentiment that many people feel towards Obama’s proposed budget.
“I don’t understand where this money is coming from; it’s ridiculous. I do sort of agree with the taxing on the rich, but it doesn’t do anything to reform the entitlement programs that will hurt us the most.”
John Deardourff, a resident of the Washington, D.C. area, expressed similar concerns.
“I like that they’re looking to remove certain tax breaks and the extra spending on education. It is also really short sighted, though, because it doesn’t deal with entitlement issues,” said Deardourff.
The feelings expressed by Horsey and Deardourff are common amongst the public. Many believe that Obama is proposing a spending plan that will consume trillions of dollars the government does not have, while ignoring some of the issues that are hurting this country the most.
Many people disagree on a solution to the deficit crisis and the economy, but it is critical that Congress and the President reach an agreement. Whatever the end result, the coming budget debates are sure to be heavily scrutinized and debated.