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Portman, Brown Weigh in on Obama's Budget Proposal

Photos: U.S. Government Printing Office
Photos: U.S. Government Printing Office

President Obama's budget calls for a tax on corporations' overseas profits, and a hike in the capital gains tax. There would be more spending on defense and education proposals.

But with Republicans in control of both houses, what actually comes out of Congress probably won't look like what the president is proposing.

Ohio's Democratic senator, Sherrod Brown, welcomed the president's education and infrastructure proposals, but said he expects a "clash of ideas" will take place.

"I think that what comes out of the budget committee will be not particularly to the president's liking," Brown said. "It will probably be more towards that tax cuts for the wealthy, trickle-down economics, failure to invest in infrastructure and medical research and higher ed and Head Start and early childhood development, but that's what elections are about, and that's what debate's about, and we've got to make our case, and I think the public's with us on it."

But Brown was critical of the president's plan to cut funding this year for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

And Brown's Republican counterpart, Sen. Rob Portman, told the Columbus Dispatch the president was ignoring the decision of voters in last year's election, which gave control of the Senate to Republicans. Portman cast the budget as containing more taxes and more spending.

Nick Castele was a senior reporter covering politics and government for Ideastream Public Media. He worked as a reporter for Ideastream from 2012-2022.