Obama Tells Cabinet to Cut Spending

By Paula Wolfson

The White House
20 April 2009

U.S. President Barack Obama has instructed his Cabinet to cut $100
million in federal spending during the next 90 days, a largely symbolic move
designed to draw attention to cost cutting in Washington.

The president says Americans need to have confidence that the government is spending their tax dollars wisely.

"One
of the things that everybody here is mindful of is that as we move
forward dealing with this extraordinary economic crisis, we also have a
deficit, a confidence gap when it comes to the American people. And
we've got to earn their trust," Mr. Obama said.

The president spoke at the end of his first formal meeting with all of the members of
his Cabinet - except for Health and Human Services Secretary-designee
Kathleen Sebelius who is awaiting Senate confirmation.

Mr. Obama highlighted steps that already have been taken to save money - from
consolidating facilities at the Department of Agriculture to a shifting
from business trips to video conferencing at the Department of Veterans
Affairs.

"There are a host of efficiencies
that can be gained without increasing our personnel or our budget, but
rather decreasing the amount of money that's spent on unnecessary
things in order to fund some of the critical initiatives that we've all
talked about," said Mr. Obama.

The president told the heads of
departments and agencies that he wants them to trim $100 million in
operating costs during the next 90 days. And he stressed that
ineffective programs will be cut in the weeks and months ahead.

He
acknowledged $100 million may not seem like much, given the trillions
of dollars the federal government spends annually. But he said it is
an important start.

"None of these savings
by themselves are going to solve our long-term fiscal problems. But
taken together, they can make a difference and they send a signal that
we are serious about changing how government operates," said Mr. Obama.

But
Mr. Obama's critics point out that the $100 million in cost cutting is
miniscule - just a tiny fraction of one percent of the federal budget
deficit.

Last week, they organized protests around the country
on tax day - the deadline for Americans to report their annual income
and pay any taxes due.

The top Republican in the House of
Representatives, John Boehner of Ohio, says these protesters held a
message for the president.

"They are
really concerned about the amount of spending that is going on in
Washington and the amount of debt that is being piled up," said Boehner.

Boehner appeared Sunday on the ABC television program This Week.