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Obama to Propose Budget Freeze in State of the Union Address

   VOA News  25 January 2011
   On  the  day of his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama
   strides from the Oval Office along the Colonnade at the White House in
   Washington, 25 Jan 2011

Photo: AP

   On  the  day of his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama
   walks  from  the  Oval Office at the White House in Washington, 25 Jan
   2011

   U.S.  President Barack Obama is expected to propose a budget freeze in
   his State of the Union address Tuesday, a plan that likely will appeal
   to Republicans calling for spending cuts to lower the national debt.
   A  White House official, speaking anonymously, told U.S. media Tuesday
   the  president  will  call  for  a  five-year  freeze  on non-security
   discretionary spending.
   Republicans,  who  recently  took  majority  control  of  the House of
   Representatives,   have  made  cutting  the  federal  budget  a  major
   priority.  Some  lawmakers  have  called for $100 billion in cuts this
   year.

                                                STATE OF THE UNION TRIVIA

                                                            Did you Know?
     * The 221 year-old tradition is a requirement found in Article 2
       Section 3 of the US Constitution and asks that the president "give
       to the Congress information on the State of the Union"
     * One member of the Cabinet is not present so that in case of an
       emergency, the line of succession is preserved
     * President Franklin Roosevelt coined the phrase "State of the
       Union"; before that the address was known as the "Annual Message"
       to Congress
     * The first radio broadcast of the speech was under President Calvin
       Coolidge in 1923
     * The first televised address was under President Harry Truman in
       1947
     * The first Internet broadcast of the speech was under President
       George W. Bush in 2002

   President  Obama  is  trying  to  continue  building  cooperation with
   Republicans, after he struck a bipartisan tax deal with the party late
   last year.
   Obama  is  expected  to  use  most of his speech tonight to talk about
   challenges  facing  the  nation,  including  how  to  create  jobs and
   strengthen the economy.
   In  a  video  released  ahead  of  the speech, Obama said he wants the
   government  to  take  measures  to encourage job creation and economic
   growth with targeted spending projects, such as high-speed rail, clean
   energy programs and college grants.
   Senate Minority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell challenged reporters
   to  count  how  many times the president uses the word "investment" in
   the  speech.   In  an  interview  Tuesday with news websitePolitico ,
   McConnell  said  when  Democrats  use  the  word,  it  means  they are
   proposing more spending.
   This  is  President  Obama's  second  state of the union address since
   taking office in 2009.
   The  speech  is  traditionally delivered at the U.S. Capitol building.
   The U.S. Constitution requires the president to keep Congress informed
   from time to time on the state of the nation.
   In   developments   spurred   by   the   recent  shooting  of  Arizona
   Representative Gabrielle Giffords, some Democrats and Republicans have
   pledged  to  sit  together  during  the speech rather than on separate
   sides,  divided by party. The White House also confirms that Giffords'
   intern  Daniel Hernandez, credited with helping save Giffords' life in
   the  moments  after the shooting, will be present, along with a doctor
   for  Giffords and the family of a nine-year-old girl who was killed in
   the attack.
   Giffords,  who  was  shot  in  the  head  in  the January 8 attack, is
   recovering in Texas. An aide to Giffords and a federal judge also were
   among the six people killed.

   *  Watch  this  White  House video to get a glimpse of how the process
   works - and how President Obama is approaching tonight's speech. 

   IFRAME: [1]http://www.youtube.com/embed/-fBWo_TO7xQ

References

   1. http://www.youtube.com/embed/-fBWo_TO7xQ

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