WASHINGTON — Pressing Congress for a record $3.55-trillion federal budget, President Obama on Wednesday made a personal appeal to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, who have been enmeshed in crafting their own budget plans.
Obama's presence may have paid off. Hours later, the House Budget Committee approved a $3.6-trillion version of his plan on a party-line vote.
"It was vintage Obama," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said of the earlier closed-door Senate Democratic caucus meeting with the president. "He made us all feel content and inspired by where we need to go."
Republicans, complaining about the president's spending and projected deficits, accused Democratic leaders of drafting resolutions that hide the cost of Obama's agenda.
The president had made a pitch for his budget Tuesday to the public with a prime-time news conference. Obama framed his initiatives on healthcare, energy and education as long-term investments crucial to the nation's economic strength.
On Wednesday, Obama carried his case to Capitol Hill, where not only Republicans, but also conservative Democrats in the House and Senate, are questioning the proposed spending and record deficits.
The president's budget director suggested that congressional budget writers were hewing closely to Obama's budget proposal.
"They are 98% the same as the budget proposal the president sent up in February," Peter R. Orszag, director of the president's Office of Management and Budget, said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters. "The resolutions may not be identical twins to what the president submitted, but they are certainly brothers that look an awful lot alike."
Obama arrived late for the closed meeting with Senate Democrats and stayed for less than an hour. He emphasized that he wanted Congress to preserve his priorities -- education, health, energy and deficit reduction -- but said that he would be flexible about the details.
"He understands how the process works," Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) said after the meeting. "He kicked off; we received and will move the ball down the field. He may not like all of our plays."
Senate Budget Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said after the caucus meeting with Obama: "We have attempted to preserve, and I think have preserved, the president's key priorities."
