About that $100 million in cuts
Barack Obama's cabinet has missed its deadline to find $100 million in federal spending cuts within 90 days.
Ninety-one days ago, President Obama met with his cabinet members and asked them to somehow find $100 million to cut from the federal budget. We were told then that the savings would be found within 90 days — but they’ve yet to be released.
From the Wall Street Journal:
Three months ago, when President Barack Obama announced he was extracting $100 million in spending cuts from his cabinet secretaries, the reviews were not terribly kind, not with a budget well in excess of $3 trillion and a budget deficit shooting toward $1.8 trillion.
But the president had a deadline to keep: “As part of his commitment to go line by line through the budget to cut spending and reform government he will challenge his cabinet to cut a collective 100 million dollars in the next 90 days,” the White House fact sheet proclaimed.
Well, on this, the 91st day, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki and White House budget office spokesman Ken Baer released identical statements when queried about the results. “The recommendations have been gathered by the Cabinet Secretary who will be reporting them to the President shortly,” they said in separate responses. When pressed, Psaki said we should see the exact cuts “in the coming days.”
A deadline is a deadline. One would think that now, with a deficit that topped $1 trillion last week, the cabinet would be able to find $100 million in savings within 90 days.
Sources:
Wall Street Journal, July 20, 2009
Remember Obama’s Promise to Cut $100 Million in 90 Days?
CNN, July 21, 2009
White House misses deadline on spending cuts report
Fox News ‘Your World with Neil Cavuto,’ July 21, 2009
White House Misses Deadline to Announce Budget Cuts
The White House, April 20, 2009
$100 million there, $100 million here
The White House, April 20, 2009
