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         Obama Wants End to 'Mindless Austerity' in 2016 Spending Plan

   by VOA News

   The White House said in a statement Thursday that President Barack
   Obama is looking to end "the era of manufactured crises and mindless
   austerity" as he gets set to unveil his 2016 government spending plan.

   The statement said Obama, a Democrat, would call for eliminating
   automatic spending cuts that he agreed to with opposition Republican
   lawmakers during a 2011 budget crisis as the U.S. struggled to recover
   from the world economic downturn. Obama's 2016 budget proposal is being
   released Monday.

   The White House said the automatic spending cuts, known in Washington
   as "sequestration," have hurt the U.S. economy and its military, and
   that Obama would seek to "fully reverse" cuts in domestic spending
   while providing equal spending boosts for military and national
   security programs.

   The budget plan for the year starting in October will call for
   increased spending for advanced manufacturing, road and bridge
   construction and targeted research for curing diabetes and cancer. It
   also will include a call for measures aimed at helping the country's
   middle class with tax credits for child care, paid sick leave and two
   years of financing for community college students.

   The White House said the increased spending can be paid for with "cuts
   to inefficient spending programs and closing tax loopholes" used by
   wealthy taxpayers, although no details were given.

   Republicans, who now control both houses of Congress, have frequently
   feuded with Obama over his spending priorities, leading to contentious
   disputes that usually have ended with last-minute deals as funding
   deadlines near. But the government was partially shut down for 16 days
   in one such policy and budget standoff in 2013.

   Republican lawmakers have already voiced objections to some aspects of
   Obama's 2016 plan as he has unveiled parts of it in speeches in recent
   weeks, including his State of the Union address to Congress. They say
   the proposals are too costly and have repeatedly rejected his call for
   higher taxes on wealthy taxpayers.

   With the U.S. labor market market adding more than 200,000 jobs a
   month,  Obama's popularity has risen in recent weeks, even as
   Republicans made large gains in November's congressional elections.

   Some information in this report was provided by AP.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-end-mindless-austerity-spending
   -plan/2618550.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-end-mindless-austerity-spending-plan/2618550.html