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Obama to propose spending freeze - Glenn Thrush and David Rogers - POLITICO.com
This is pretty surprising. Given the shifting national attitude, it looks to be that rare convergence of good policy, good timing, and good politics.
President Obama plans to announce a three-year freeze on discretionary, “non-security” spending in the lead-up to Wednesday's State of the Union address, Hill Democratic sources familiar with the plan tell POLITICO.
The move, intended to blunt the populist backlash against Obama's $787 billion stimulus and an era of trillion-dollar deficits — and to quell Democratic anxiety over last Tuesday's Massachusetts Senate election — is projected to save $250 billion, the Democrats said.
The freeze would not apply to defense or foreign aid or spending on intelligence, homeland security or veterans.
News of the proposal came as the Congressional Budget Office is slated to release new deficit estimates Tuesday morning, and when the Senate will also vote on a proposed bipartisan task force empowered to force votes after November’s elections on proposals to rein in the growing federal debt.
This is pretty surprising. Given the shifting national attitude, it looks to be that rare convergence of good policy, good timing, and good politics.