White House Offers Another $6.5B in Cuts

Officials: We're meeting GOP 'halfway' with budget proposal
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 4, 2011 8:56 AM CST
President Obama Offers Another $6.5B in Spending Cuts
President Barack Obama speaks during his joint news conference with Mexico's President Felipe Calderon, Thursday, March 3, 2011, in the East Room of the White House in Washington.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

The White House has proposed another $6.5 billion in spending cuts, its latest offer in an effort to avoid a government shutdown as another deadline looms. Vice President Biden brought the proposal to talks with congressional leaders yesterday. While it’s far less than the House’s proposed $61 billion in cuts, administration authorities call it a place to start, the Washington Post reports. “We're willing to cut further if we can find common ground,” said a White House economic adviser.

The $6.5 billion comes from a list of reductions Obama previously pitched in his 2012 budget request, says an insider. When added to the $40 billion Democrats already said they'd trim from that request, and the $4 billion included in the temporary spending bill, the offer meets Republicans “halfway” in their call for $100 billion in cuts, says an administration rep. Now, officials say, both proposals will head to the Senate; neither is likely to pass, offering congressional leaders a chance to push their parties closer to compromise. (More President Obama stories.)

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