WASHINGTON – White House Chief of Staff Jacob Lew on Sunday dismissed Republican criticism of President Barack Obama’s latest spending plan, arguing that it charts a long-term strategy for tackling the national debt while offering a short-term boost to the recovering economy.
The budget request, due on Capitol Hill today, calls for spending $3.8 trillion in 2013, according to sources with knowledge of the document, including fresh increases for roads, infrastructure, manufacturing and education, as well as a yearlong extension of emergency unemployment benefits and a temporary payroll tax holiday.
The White House says those investments would “construct an economy that is built to last.” But they would also keep annual budget deficits near $1 trillion for a fifth straight year.
Obama is set to unveil his 2013 spending plan this morning.
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