President Barack Obama meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. The prime minister arrived at the White House Friday to personally appeal to President Barack Obama for more U.S. assistance in beating back the bloody insurgency consuming his country. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says budget negotiations in Congress are about choices and priorities.
In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama urges Congress to pass a budget that includes spending on education, infrastructure and research.
Obama says there’s an obsession with cutting spending just for the sake of cutting. He says it’s not helping grow the economy. He’s pointing out that deficits are falling fast on his watch.
House and Senate budget negotiators hope to strike a deal that would avert a new round of automatic cuts set to hit the Pentagon and domestic programs.
In the Republican address, Sen. Dan Coats of Indiana is criticizing Obama over the health care website and insurance cancellation notices. He says the health care law can’t be fixed and Americans should start over.
