Dem Lawmakers Cry Foul on Obama Budget Cuts

To make an omelet, you’ve got to break some eggs. But some of the eggs President Obama broke in the list of budget cuts unveiled yesterday were golden eggs for lawmakers, and even members of his own party wasted no time in protesting, the Washington Post reports. Dems who said they plan to fight for favorite programs include Nancy Pelosi, who's asked members to come up with their own alternate list.

Programs Dem lawmakers hope to keep off the chopping block include a presidential helicopter, which Obama doesn’t want or need, but translates into 800 jobs in Rep. Maurice Hinchey’s district. Also targeted are agricultural subsidies, widely viewed as inefficient except by farm-state representatives, and student lending middlemen—ditto, but for those with a middleman company in their state.