“The Obama administration and congressional Republicans laid the groundwork on Sunday for what is shaping up to be an epic budget showdown…

“‘We’re broke,’ [Boehner] said on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press.’ ‘What’s really dangerous is if we do nothing. …We’re going to deal with the entitlement problem.’…

“‘It’s going to be a confrontation,’ said McCain. The Arizona Republican also suggested that while he admires House Republicans’ push to cut $100 billion in the current fiscal year, he’s not sure it’s entirely doable…

“‘We look forward to working with Congress,’ [White House budget director Jacob] Lew said. Pressed on the issue, he simply repeated, ‘We look forward to working with Congress.'”

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“President Obama will respond to a Republican push for a drastic reduction in government spending by proposing sharp cuts of his own in a fiscal 2012 budget blueprint that aims to trim record federal deficits by $1.1 trillion over the next decade.

“Obama would reach his target in part by raising taxes, an idea that Republicans refuse to consider. But two-thirds of the savings would come from spending cuts that are draconian by Democratic standards and take aim at liberal priorities, such as a popular low-income heating assistance program and community development block grants.

“Obama also targets the Pentagon, traditionally considered untouchable by both parties, by adopting $78 billion in savings proposed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates.

“The White House proposal, outlined Friday by a senior administration official, would barely put a dent in deficits that congressional budget analysts say could approach $12 trillion through 2021. But the policies would stabilize borrowing, the administration official said, while reversing the trend of ramping up spending to blunt the trauma of the recent recession.”

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“President Obama’s 2012 budget request to be released on Monday will reduce budget deficits over the next decade by only a quarter of the amount proposed by the presidential debt commission in December, a senior administration official confirmed Sunday.

“Whereas the debt commission’s mix of spending cuts and tax increases reduced deficits by $4 trillion over 10 years, the Obama budget will reduce the combined deficits by $1.1 trillion…

“The budget also does not propose long-term solutions to Medicare and Social Security spending either, although it does propose paying for a two-year extension of the so-called Medicare ‘Doc fix’ by new cost control measures.”

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“Families across this country understand what it takes to manage a budget. They understand what it takes to make ends meet without forgoing important investments like education. Well, it’s time Washington acted as responsibly as our families do. And on Monday, I’m proposing a new budget that will help us live within our means while investing in our future.”