State of Union Near, Republicans Draw Line on Spending
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WASHINGTON -- Congressional Republicans, seeking to recapture the debate over the country's economic recovery in advance of President Obama's State of the Union address, warned Sunday that they would oppose any new spending initiatives and press ahead with their plans for budget cuts in every realm of government, including the military.
In a series of carefully choreographed appearances on Sunday morning talk shows here, Republicans sought to draw the battle lines for the Tuesday night speech over government spending. With Mr. Obama planning to call for "investments" of tax dollars in specific areas like education, infrastructure and technology, Republicans insisted that "investment" was just another name for spending that the nation can ill afford.
"With all due respect to our Democratic friends, any time they want to spend, they call it investment, so I think you will hear the president talk about investing a lot Tuesday night," Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, said on "Fox News Sunday." "This is not a time to be looking at pumping up government spending in very many areas."
Mr. McConnell's House counterpart, Representative Eric Cantor, said that his party would demand "deep spending cuts" in all areas and that the military, an area of the budget that Republicans ordinarily view as sacrosanct, would not be exempt. "Every dollar should be on the table," Mr. Cantor said in an appearance on "Meet the Press" on NBC.
The appearances laid the groundwork for a fierce clash between the Republicans and Mr. Obama over spending, the size and scope of government and the federal deficit; that fight could have profound effects on the path the nation takes as it emerges from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. It occurs against the backdrop of the early days of the 2012 presidential race, as Mr. Obama prepares for his re-election campaign and Republicans position themselves to pick a candidate to challenge him.
Mr. Obama will use the State of the Union address to argue that government should be a tool for creating jobs and strengthening a fragile recovery through spending in areas like high-speed rail, scientific research, clean energy programs and college grants -- a message that appeals to Democratic voters. In effect, Mr. Obama is trying to wall off those areas from spending cuts and is daring Republicans to defy him.
First Published January 24, 2011 12:01 am
