Obama Offers $3.8 Trillion Budget With Focus on Boosting Jobs
(Washington) - President Barack Obama proposes a $3.8 trillion fiscal 2011 budget today that calls for $100 billion in additional stimulus spending and projects this year’s deficit will hit a record $1.6 trillion. The plan would reduce the shortfall in part by imposing more than $800 billion in higher taxes and fees on those earning more than $250,000, banks that benefited from the financial industry bailout and the oil, gas and coal industries. The spending blueprint being sent to Congress for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 reflects the administration’s struggle to boost the economy and job growth -- both top concerns of voters -- while tightening the government’s belt to reduce deficits in the years ahead. “We’re trying to accomplish a soft landing in terms of our fiscal trajectory,” Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said in a briefing. The $1.6 trillion deficit forecast for the current year represents 10.6 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product, making it the biggest by that measure since World War II, according to administration figures. The deficit in 2009 was $1.4 trillion. The White House deficit projection exceeds other forecasts. The Congressional Budget Office has forecast this year’s shortfall at $1.35 trillion. The median of 39 analysts survey by Bloomberg News is for $1.37 trillion this year and $1.10 trillion next year. Last Updated: February 1, 2010 via Bloomberg Market News http://bigcapital.wordpress.com/
