Obama Bends on Budget Cuts

Hoping to break a dangerous stalemate, President Obama said he’s willing to negotiate deeper budget cuts with Congress in order to pass a budget bill and stave off a government shutdown. His remarks come after the GOP panned his initial offer of $6.5 billion—their bill slashed $60 billion in federal spending. “I’m prepared to do more,” Obama said in his weekly address on Saturday, “but we’ll only finish the job together.” This week, the Senate will vote on both the White House’s budget proposal and the plan that passed the Republican-controlled House; neither package is expected to pass, and the government is running on a budget that extends only until March 18.