奧巴馬將提出赤字削減提案

U.S. President Barack Obama will present his plans Wednesday to reduce the nation's massive deficit, which the White House says is threatening the U.S. economic recovery and prospects for . Obama has promised to tackle the deficit and the $14 trillion national debt, but has yet to unveil a complete strategy.

Administration officials have suggested Mr. Obama may discuss reforming costly benefit programs for the elderly, the poor and retired Americans. There are also reports he may propose allowing existing tax breaks for families making more than $250,000 a year to expire, effectively raising tax rates to generate revenue.

Republican House Speaker John Boehner has said any proposal to raise taxes would be "unacceptable" and a "non-starter" for budget negotiations. The president's proposal will further propel a debate with Republicans, who have their own ideas for slashing the deficit, by making deeper cuts to federal spending. The White House says the Republican plan unfairly targets the middle class.

Mr. Obama is due to deliver his address at George Washington University in Washington. He is meeting with Congressional leaders ahead of the speech to discuss his plans.

美國總統奧巴馬預計星期三將提出削減美國鉅額赤字的計劃。白宮說，赤字正威脅着美國經濟恢復和增長的前景。奧巴馬保證會解決財政赤字和還14萬億美元的國債問題，但是到目前爲止，他還沒有公佈一個完整的戰略。

美國政府官員暗示，奧巴馬可能會討論改革耗資巨大的老人、窮人和退休人員福利項目的問題。也有報告說，奧巴馬可能提出，讓年收入超過25萬美元的家庭的減稅政策到期，從而有效地提高稅率，增加財政收入。

美國國會衆議院議長、共和黨人貝納說，任何加稅的建議都是“不可接受的”，都“不能做爲開始”預算談判的內容。總統的提議將進一步引發與共和黨人的辯論。共和黨人主張通過更大幅度的削減聯邦開支來大幅削減赤字。白宮說， 共和黨的計劃在不公平地針對美國中產階級。

奧巴馬計劃在華盛頓的喬治華盛頓大學發表講話。他將在演講之前會見國會領袖，討論他的提議。