White House pushes agency budget cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House is trying to show federal agency bureaucrats that President Barack Obama is serious about his promise to freeze most domestic agency budgets.

Budget chief Peter Orszag is directing agencies to target less effective programs for cuts as the administration puts together a budget plan for the fiscal year starting September, 2011.

As he did last year, Orszag is pressing agencies to cut 5 percent so that savings could be used to boost other programs.

But the White House is resisting calls from Republicans to cut spending immediately by rescinding already appropriated money. The administration is instead seeking to add billions in new stimulus money to legislation pending before Congress.