4/25/09 President Barack Obama Weekly Radio Address

Read the transcript of the weekly address.

President Obama; in remarking during his address stated: “To help build a new foundation for the 21st century, we need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative."

The White House highlighted the president's announcment: "In his weekly address, President Barack Obama reiterated his call for fiscal discipline and outlined the steps his administration will take to eliminate waste and increase efficiency. First, the President called on Congress to pass PAYGO legislation. Next, the administration will create incentives for agencies to cut costs and identify savings. Third, the administration will establish a process for every government employee to submit their ideas on how their agency can save money and perform better. Finally, the administration will reach outside of Washington for ideas by convening a forum on reforming government for the 21st century later this year.

In discussing the Weekly Address the White House made the following remarks, entitled:

"Calling for Fiscal Discipline."

This week the President reiterates a theme that has been a hallmark of his career, namely that "old habits and stale thinking" will simply not help us solve the new and immense problems our country faces. Listing off several specific changes he intends to bring, he describes his guiding principle: "To help build a new foundation for the 21st century, we need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative. That will demand new thinking and a new sense of responsibility for every dollar that is spent."

In commenting on President Obama's address; The New York Times made the following remarks: "Saying that the government must act “the same way any responsible family does in setting its budget,” President Obama called for Congress to pass legislation that would require lawmakers to offset any new tax cuts or spending increases with equivalent tax increases or spending cuts.

"The legislation, dubbed “PAYGO,” for "pay as you go," has become a rallying cry for fiscally conservative Democrats, who are pushing for it to be applied to the health care reform legislation that the White House is hoping will pass this year. But speaking in his weekly address to the nation on Saturday, Mr. Obama said that he wanted it applied more broadly.

“We need to adhere to the basic principle that new tax or entitlement policies should be paid for,” the president said. “This principle — known as PAYGO — helped transform large deficits into surpluses in the 1990s. Now, we must restore that sense of fiscal discipline.”P

"Mr. Obama has spent the first three months in office presiding over a huge burst of federal spending. His economic recovery bill will cost taxpayers $787 billion, and the government is pumping another $700 billion into the economy to keep shaky financial institutions stable. Now, the president is turning his attention to the other side of the budget equation: cutting the deficit.

“All across America , families are tightening their belts and making hard choices,” Mr. Obama said. “Now, Washington must show that same sense of responsibility.”

"But Mr. Obama’s efforts to show fiscal responsibility have so far brought derision from some budget analysts and many Republicans. On Monday, the president used the first Cabinet meeting of his presidency to challenge department heads and agencies to trim $100 million from their budgets over the next 90 days. Analysts said it was the equivalent of asking a family that spent $40,000 a year to cut $1 from its budget.

"On Saturday, Mr. Obama used his address to defend the effort and to return to the fiscal-discipline theme. While his initiatives to stabilize the economy may be driving up the federal deficit, he noted that he had also inherited a hefty deficit, estimated at $1.3 trillion this year, from his predecessor, former President George W. Bush. Mr. Obama also said his administration had “identified $2 trillion in deficit reductions over the next decade.”

"That $2 trillion figure, however, is widely scorned by budget analysts. Three quarters of the “reductions” Mr. Obama cited reflect assumptions that the nation would have as many troops in Iraq in 10 years as it does now, even though Mr. Obama has committed to a further drawdown of forces and Mr. Bush signed an agreement with Baghdad before leaving office that would result in the withdrawal of all American forces in three years.

"In his address, Mr. Obama also pledged to look for budget-cutting ideas “from the bottom up,” saying he would establish a process through which every government worker could submit ideas on how to save money. And he offered an incentive for workers to participate, saying he would meet later this year with those who came up with the best ideas."