Posted by Kelsey Wheatcroft - email
WASHINGTON (NBC) - President Obama will roll out his 2012 budget on Monday, but the political fighting is already under way.
Republicans say the President isn't cutting enough, but the Republicans aren't just fighting the President, they're fighting each other over the bottom line.
President Obama's 2012 budget would slash a trillion dollars in spending over a decade.
He says, "This budget asks Washington to live within its means, while at the same time investing in our future."
Republicans say investing is code for spending more, and they won't do it.
Rep. John Boehner, (R) Speaker of the House says, "The President wants to talk about winning the future. This isn't winning the future, it's spending the future."
The President's calling for cuts in programs ranging from the forestry service to low-income heating assistance, even cuts to community organizers like he used to be.
White House Budget Director Jacob Lew says, "The notion that we can do this painlessly, it's not possible to do it painlessly. We are going to make tough choices."
The trillion dollars in spending cuts is far short of the $4 trillion his own bi-partisan deficit commission suggested.
While Republicans fight the President over next year's spending plan, they're also fighting within their own party.
GOP leaders wanted to cut this year's budget by $30 billion, but tea party members pushed them to double that number to $60 billion.
Now, they have to figure out how to do it.
Even though the house is proposing huge cuts, that doesn't mean the senate or the President will sign off on them.
