CNNMoney.com: What's on Obama's chopping block
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/05/07/art.bobudget0507.cnn.jpg caption="President Obama announced $17 billion in budget cuts Thursday."]
WASHINGTON (CNNMoney.com) - Even on the campaign trail last year, President Obama pledged to cull waste from the budget. On Thursday, he pulled back the curtain on his plans.
All told, Obama put 121 government initiatives in the cross hairs for reductions. Dozens of them face outright elimination.
"Some programs may have made sense in the past - but are no longer needed in the present," President Obama said. "Other programs never made any sense; the end result of a special interest's successful lobbying campaign."
Congress still has to sign off on the president's proposed cuts, and already some lawmakers were crying foul.
But Obama got the process started. Here are ten programs or grants that could be ended or cut back because the administration considers them obsolete, duplicative or a waste of money.
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I have a few suggestions for things which should be tossed on the scrap heap
1. Nancy Pelosi
2 Harry Reid
3. Secretary Geithner
4 Barney Frank
5 Chris Dodd
6 TARP
7 The 2009 -2010 budget
8 The Chrysler reorg proposal
9 Any and all future bailouts
10 Any additional troops to Afghanistan
"Of course, for Obama, now comes the hard part - getting his proposals through Congress."
Okay, yes this is very funny. I usually don't see Cnn.com using sarcasm.
Look people, look at the list of things he is cutting, what is the big deal? I don't care if it saves up 1/2 of a cent it's a savings. The President has got to start somewhere because bush was all over the place getting money and putting us in debt or have you haters forgot that?
Rush Limbaugh's neck should be first on the list!
I knew the GOP would criticize President Obama's program cuts. There is nothing, short of doing what the GOP wants, that Obama can do to get any GOP to work with him and getting this country back on the right track. I say Mr. President do all you can and keep giving the GOP all the rope they need and they will do the rest themselves. It would be nice if some of the GOP would think of country before party but I doubt they will.
mjm May 7th, 2009 3:07 pm ET
So let me get this straight…. Alaska is the only state named in this report.
Not California or Illinois or Michigan.
The broke blue states are doing fine, Alaska need a budget cut.
Seems more like pay back to me.
Alaska has a surplus of money from oil revenue and the most federal money per capita back from taxes.
California has the lowest per capita back and the state is bankrupt. Illinois is not far behind, and we literally need to pull ALL of MIchigan's fat out of the fire if we want to save thousands of jobs.
The reason that money is going to CA, IL and MI is because the have someting AK doesn't have: a population. This has nothing to do with Palin. No one cares about Palin except the usual loud suspects on the left and right.
Please! Abre sus ojos! Open your eyes!
Barak – They say that they want you to cut and spend less, but they are going to criticize whatever you do. You decide what is best and and ram it through! Screw those deceitful twits.
Hasn't anyone ever wondered WHY more isn't being cut? Has anyone ever bothered wondering how much can really be cut when congresspeople are standing over their pet projects (ESPECIALLY DEFENSE) like a hawk protecting baby chicks?
Why does the concept of "follow up" escape most people?
What about the $3 billion a year we give to Israel so that their people can have an American middle class lifestyle without ever having to work? We subsidize a large majority of their normal everyday living expenses while Americans are suffering financially.
How Do You Eat An Elephant?
One Bite at a Time.
I Believe President Obama Said He Will Go Line By Line, To Look For Cuts!
The savior cuts less than 1/2 of 1% and the uneducated followers will believe that taxes will not go up for the next 10 years. 14 trillion deficit in 2014 is something to look forward to, isn't it?
Can your really call if a budget cut if you increase spending by a WHOLE LOT MORE than $17 billion first? This $17 billion budget cut is comparable to a retailer doubling the price of a product then advertising that it's on sale for 10% off.
This is complete joke.
AND THE EMPEROR TOOK EVERY OCCASION TO SHOW OFF HIS NEW CLOTHES made of the finest invisible threads and fabric as the crowds OOHED and AHHED hypnotically.
President Obama;
There is also an impatience that characterizes this town – an attention span that has only grown shorter with the twenty-four hour news cycle, and insists on instant gratification in the form of immediate results or higher poll numbers. When a crisis hits, there’s all too often a lurch from shock to trance, with everyone responding to the tempest of the moment until the furor has died away and the media coverage has moved on, instead of confronting the major challenges that will shape our future in a sustained and focused way.
Line By Line, Bit By Bit. Relax Folk, where Americans.
Will Get It Done!
You republicans are disgusting. President Obama is doing and has done what he promised yet you guys are never happy. Why? Cause you don't care one iota about this country, you guys are not patriots, just in name only. You just want to hate him for your own twisted reasons. Remember though, hate only returns to the hater.
Relax Folks, The 17 Billion is only the start of his line by line review to secure cuts. The Haters and The GOP couldn't wait to bounce on this.
President Obama Was So Correct in this statement;
There is also an impatience that characterizes this town – an attention span that has only grown shorter with the twenty-four hour news cycle, and insists on instant gratification in the form of immediate results or higher poll numbers. When a crisis hits, there’s all too often a lurch from shock to trance, with everyone responding to the tempest of the moment until the furor has died away and the media coverage has moved on, instead of confronting the major challenges that will shape our future in a sustained and focused way.