WASHINGTON - Republicans in control of Congress summarily rejected President Barack Obama's $4 trillion budget Monday, accusing him of "shamelessly pandering" to Democrats ahead of the 2016 election.
The ink was barely dry on Obama's proposal -- which would bypass mandatory spending caps and post a $474 billion deficit -- before Republicans came out en masse to make clear it will not become law.
"Today President Obama laid out a plan for more taxes, more spending, and more of the Washington gridlock that has failed middle-class families," said John Boehner, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Obama's 2016 budget assumes the world's largest economy will grow at about 3.1% this calendar year, with unemployment at 5.4% and inflation of 1.4%.
The deficit for 2016 would stand at 2.5%, comfortably below the 3% level economists deem sustainable.
The budget also includes spending to counter "Russian pressure and aggressive action" in Eastern Europe.
Ukraine would receive $117 million in funding, as well as a possible $1 billion sovereign loan guarantee for 2016.
Moldova and Georgia would get $51 million "for countering Russian pressure and destabilizing activities."
There would also be funding to help defeat the Islamic State group, around $1 billion to boost governance in Central America -- the starting point for many migrants arriving in the United States -- and $14 billion to support cybersecurity.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2015
