Obama in war with Republicans over US budget 2012

Implementing immediate, deep budget cuts would hurt the fragile US economic recovery, warned the US President Barack Obama while Republicans pressed to reduce spending and expressed no interest to consider job loss concerns.

Obama’s budget for 2012 was strongly criticized by Republicans who demanded cuts now in areas such as education and space exploration. While Obama promised $1.1 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years he still wants to invest in areas such as high speed rail and energy efficiency to boost U.S. competitiveness.

Meantime, Republicans are preparing to pass legislation in the House of Representatives by week's end to cut this year's spending by at least 14 percent, or $61 billion. The White House says Obama would veto such a bill.

"I think it is important to make sure that we don't try to make a series of symbolic cuts this year that could endanger the recovery," he told a news conference.

"We've got to be careful ... Let's use a scalpel; let's not use a machete," he said.

Republicans were eager to wield the heavier instrument. House Speaker John Boehner said if his party's spending cuts led to job losses, that was the price of necessary austerity.

"Over the last two years since President Obama has taken office, the federal government has added 200,000 new federal jobs," Boehner said. "If some of those jobs are lost in this, so be it. We're broke."