Obama Orders Agencies To Slash Budgets

Programs that 'are least critical' to administration's overall goals face ax

The White House is directing agencies to develop plans for trimming at least 5 percent from their budgets by identifying programs that do little to advance their missions or President Obama's agenda.

The request, made amid rising public anxiety over government spending, comes on top of a pledge by Obama this winter to freeze spending at most agencies for the next three years. In a joint memo to be delivered Tuesday morning, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and budget director Peter Orszag order agency heads to go further by listing the programs that "are least critical" to their overall goals.

Republicans have relentlessly hammered Obama and congressional Democrats for their roles in driving budget deficits to record levels with expensive stimulus spending. With voters increasingly alarmed about the run of red ink, and with midterm congressional elections approaching, the White House has stepped up efforts to blunt criticism. The new directive is the latest in a series of initiatives, legislative proposals and veto threats in recent weeks aimed at demonstrating that Obama is minding every penny.

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