Obama Budget Winners and Losers

Education, R&D are up, oil and gas companies down
By Emily Rauhala,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 2, 2010 6:26 AM CST
Obama Budget Winners and Losers
President Barack Obama delivers a statement on his budget that he sent to Congress, Monday, Feb. 1, 2010.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The 2011 fiscal budget says much about the state of the country—and the state of the president. "Like any politician, he’s focused on rewarding friends and not enemies," write Eamon Javers and James Hohmann for Politico. A look at this year's winners and losers:

Winners

  • Education: "Ramped-up" spending and major reforms should please Obama's supporters in the teachers' unions.

  • R&D: Non-defense science research gets a major boost. Clean energy, biomedical and cancer research clean up.
  • Small business: The budget eliminates capital gains taxes for investments in the smallest tier of business.
Losers
  • The moon: Obama cancels the Constellation program designed to return people to the moon.
  • Defense contractors: The Defense Department's budget is raised 3.4%, but other programs—including the production of Boeing C-17s—are chopped.
  • Oil and gas: The president slashes eight initiatives that keep gas prices artificially low and help energy companies.
(More Barack Obama stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X