Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Obama Budget: New Consensus or Continued Gridlock?

    Partisanship has left the budget process in shambles since 2010, but this year the Republican Congress and Democrats in the Senate have both passed spending plans.

    • rss
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    Partisanship has left the budget process in shambles since 2010, but this year the Republican Congress and Democrats in the Senate have both passed spending plans. Having refused to start the proceedings in February, as required by law, President Obama has waited to weigh in. Tomorrow, he's expected to take what Washington calls a "risk" by proposing social-program reductions that infuriate many Democrats. The White House calls that "conciliatory," and hopes that Republicans will agree. But they're likely to balk at the tax increases on which his cuts are conditioned. Social Security, Medicare and "the Sequester" are part of the package, with the deficit, tax reform and the debt limit looming on the horizon. We hear what to expect from the White House, with both parties already thinking about the mid-term elections next year.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Obama's Budget: Social Security, Chained CPI and Taxes
    1. 0:00Tensions with North Korea Continue
    2. 7:52Obama Budget: New Consensus or Continued Gridlock?You’re reading this
    3. 40:41'The Way of the Knife' Describes the CIA's Secret War
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Christian Bordal

      Managing Producer, Greater LA

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • Sonya Geis with wavy brown hair wearing a black dress with red accents and decorative earrings against a white background.

      Sonya Geis

      Senior Managing Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Lori Montgomery

      Washington Post

    • KCRW placeholder

      Dean Baker

      senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research

    • KCRW placeholder

      Matt Bennett

      Third Way

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Obama's Budget: Social Security, Chained CPI and Taxes
    1. 0:00Tensions with North Korea Continue
    2. 7:52Obama Budget: New Consensus or Continued Gridlock?You’re reading this
    3. 40:41'The Way of the Knife' Describes the CIA's Secret War
    Back to To the Point