WASHINGTON: A combative US President Barack Obama on Thursday unveiled plans to increase government spending, in defiance of his Republican opponents controlling Congress.
Rolling out budget proposals for the coming year that would increase spending by $74 billion above an agreed cap, Obama challenged newly empowered Republicans to back measures designed to help the middle class.
Visiting Philadelphia to address Democratic lawmakers, Obama made a plea to end what the White House has dubbed "manufactured crises and mindless austerity" prompted by automated budget cuts, the so-called sequester.
The limits came into effect in 2013 after Democrats and Republicans were unable to reach a deal on cutting the deficit. If fully enacted they would cut spending by around $1 trillion by 2021.
Obama's plan would increase spending by $74 billion -- about seven percent above the level set by the cap -- with extra cash split roughly equally between defense and non-defense spending.
Some $530 billion would be spent on "non-defense discretionary" spending, an increase of $37 billion over the cap, and $561 billion would be used for defense spending, $38 billion over the cap.
Obama's full budget will be released on Monday but, with his Republican opponents in control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is likely to face stiff opposition.
But Obama did not appear ready to shirk from the fight Thursday, mocking Republican lawmakers for changing their rhetoric ahead of a 2016 general election.
Obama even took a shot Mitt Romney, the Republican he beat in 2012 and who looks likely to run again.
"We have a former presidential candidate on the other side who suddenly is just deeply concerned about poverty, that's great! Let's go, let's do something about it."
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