Obama Scales Back, Sets Smaller Goal to Avoid Fiscal Cliff

Calls on Congress for help

President Obama is temporarily reducing his expectations for coming to a budget agreement with Republicans. Instead, he’s calling for a measure sufficient enough to prevent the government from careening off the “fiscal cliff” in January. In a White House appearance Friday, Obama called on Congress to at least extend jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed; they'd otherwise be cut for 2 million people at the end of the year. Obama’s announcement was a recognition that chances for a larger agreement before year’s end have probably collapsed. “In the next few days, I’ve asked leaders of Congress to work toward a package that prevents a tax hike on middle-class Americans, protects unemployment insurance for 2 million Americans, and lays the groundwork for further work on both growth and deficit reduction. That’s an achievable goal. That can get done in 10 days," said Obama. (TIME)

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