WASHINGTON (AP) — A White House official says President Barack Obama will call for a five-year freeze in non-security, discretionary spending during his State of the Union address.
The official says the proposal will
be part of the president's plans to reduce the deficit that he will outline in
Tuesday's primetime address. The official says Obama will also call for
lawmakers to back a five-year plan put forth by Defense Secretary Robert Gates
to save $78 billion in defense spending.
Obama is under pressure from the
public and lawmakers to cut spending. Several Republican lawmakers have
proposed cutting $100 billion from Obama's budget for the current year.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly ahead of the president's speech.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
