Spring Break
Obama defends tackling many problems at same time
Associated Press
Issue date: 3/17/09 Section: News
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"To kick these problems down the road for another four years or another eight years would be to continue the same irresponsibility that led us to this point," Obama said in an appearance with the heads of the congressional budget committees. "That's not why I ran for this office. I didn't come here to pass on our problems to the next president or the next generation."
In particular, the president responded sharply to the idea, pushed by some leaders in Congress, that he should be focusing on fixing the banking crisis first. Obama said his team is working aggressively to free up frozen credit and get people working again, but that real economic recovery requires many actions at once.
"The American people don't have the luxury of just focusing on Wall Street," Obama said. "They don't have the luxury of choosing to pay their mortgage or their medical bills. They don't get to pick between paying their kids' college tuition or saving enough money for retirement."
"They have to do all these things," the president added. "They have to confront all these problems. And as a consequence, so do we."
Obama was flanked by two Democrats as he defended he budget plan: Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and his House counterpart, Rep. John Spratt Jr., D-S.C.
Conrad is among lawmakers from both parties who have expressed skepticism about Obama's proposals. Conrad called the future track of the country's deficits "unsustainable."
Obama is projecting a federal deficit of $1.75 trillion this year, by far the largest in history, but says he can get it down to $533 billion by 2013.
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