Lawmakers Gear Up for Election-Year Battle Over Deficit

Republicans rejected President Barack Obama’s $3.8 trillion election-year budget plan before it arrived at the Capitol and said they will offer an alternative that relies on spending cuts to reduce the deficit.

“All we’re getting here is more spending, more borrowing, more debt,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican. “This is not a fiscal plan to save America from a debt crisis and to grow the economy. It’s a political plan for the president’s re-election.”