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 This Conversation Is A Little Silly - White House Press Briefing by Robert Gibbs 5/7/09 — Thursday, May 07, 2009 —  (Chart not to scale due to Spending) MR. GIBBS: Chip. Q When you and the President both are questioned on spending and deficits, you often say the previous administration and the deficits that you inherited. But even that previous administration last year proposed bigger budget cuts than this from discretionary spending. Wouldn't you at least want to exceed what they -- what their goals were? MR. GIBBS: Well, no, no, no. I would reject that notion simply -- again, based on what we proposed this week. I don't think the previous administration sought to close tax loopholes for offshore tax havens at $210 billion. I don't think the previous administration entered into contract and procurement reform that we believe will save tens of billions of dollars -- legislation that's going through the Senate right now. Q That's a pretty good answer. MR. GIBBS: Not bad. Next. (Laughter.) Q But how is -- staying on this a minute -- (laughter) --the President said the following: "During these difficult economic times, Americans are tightening their belts and making tough decisions about where they need to spend." One half of one percent -- how is this truly a tough decision and a tightening of the belt? Why not say, you know what, we're going to do 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent? No, but you want to have a money argument, but the percentage doesn't matter. People are cutting back their spending by 10 percent, companies are cutting -- MR. GIBBS: NBC? Q -- by 5 percent. Trust me, no -- MR. GIBBS: The stock of GE? Q A lot of -- a lot of companies are cutting back by real numbers. One half of one percent doesn't strike us as a real number. MR. GIBBS: Well, I'd -- do this. Let's do this. Let's you and I walk out on the street today. Let's interview maybe a dozen people and ask them whether they think $17 billion is a lot of money. I'm free right after this. Let's go -- Q You're a political guy. You can ask the question. Q And then ask them do they think one half of one percent -- one half of one percent is a lot of money. MR. GIBBS: We can do that. And then let's ask them if $210 billion, which the President proposed on Monday, is a lot of money, or a hundred and some billion dollars in changes to insurance company middlemen as part of Medicare is a lot of money, or contracting and procurement reform in our weapons system is a lot of money. Let's ask them if cutting the budget deficit in half over two years -- over four years is a lot of money. Q Do you still stand by that projection, by the way? Because all of the others -- MR. GIBBS: No, no, don't stand by that -- it's not my projection, Chuck. Q No, it's your -- but budget projections have changed, GDP has changed, unemployment -- tax revenues that are coming in. Do you really still think you can actually cut the deficit in half? MR. GIBBS: Don't believe me saying it. Don't believe me. Simply go up to Congress, go to the Congressional Budget Office, and ask them for the scoring on the budget that passed the House and the Senate. I'm happy for you to go -- don't believe me; go ask the people that keep the score on this, Chuck. I'm simply saying -- Q No, wait a minute. You guys have not changed your -- but the projections get changed in July, do they not, on the budget? MR. GIBBS: There will be a mid-session economic review based on where the economy is. But, look, Chuck, if you're willing to predict where the economy is in July, any of us would be happy to take notes. Q Really quick, does the President support this economic commission that's passed Congress, both Houses? It's got to come to the President's signature. Is he going to support that, even though it's not a bipartisan split; it's a 60-40 -- MR. GIBBS: Six to four. I haven't asked them specifically to evaluate the legislation, but I'm sure if it landed on his desk the President would sign it. Jonathan. Q This conversation is a little silly because in fact he's not cutting $17 billion -- MR. GIBBS: I want to defend both Chucks -- (laughter) and say I don't think it's silly. Q But he's not cutting $17 billion. He's cutting programs worth $17 billion, but there are more than $17 billion worth of expansion, expanded programs, and new programs. There isn't a $17 billion cut from projected budget cuts. MR. GIBBS: Well, there's 17 -- I'll go back and look at the transcript. You just said there are not $17 billion in cuts; there's $17 billion in cuts to programs. Q Right. Q It's not net. Q It's not net, right. Q Not net. MR. GIBBS: No, I get where he's going. Again, the budget is cut -- not based on what I say; what the Congressional Budget Office says -- the budget deficit is cut in half in four years. That's a net, that's an actual cut in spending by the government. Budget | Congressional Budget Office | Legislation | Obama Administration | Press Briefing | Robert Gibbs | Taxes | White House Press Corps Labels: Budget, Legislation, Obama Administration, Press Briefing, Robert Gibbs, Taxes, White House Press Corps >> Full Story
Posted by White House Press Corps @ 7:22:00 PM
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