I'm sending a budget to Congress to kick off an important, and often difficult, process of deciding how our government should use taxpayer dollars.
Most years, this debate goes on behind closed doors in Washington, with too much input from special interests and lobbyists.
I think that should change. I know you're someone who cares deeply about where we go as a nation.
That's why OFA is asking people like you to make your voice heard in this debate -- will you join in?
Making budgets is something everyone does -- they're the truest measure of our priorities.
As Vice President Biden likes to say, "Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value."
I started the conversation during the State of Union by proposing ways to expand economic opportunity for the middle class, and make critical investments in infrastructure and education.
The budget I'm presenting today lays out exactly what else we can do to keep our families strong -- ways to make paychecks go further, raise wages, and create good jobs here at home. I'm also proposing that we re-evaluate how we make spending cuts -- because they shouldn't be made blindly across the board, as they have been in years past.
I suspect that some members of Congress will have their own ideas about what our priorities should be.
So do you.
This directly affects your life -- you need to have a say in it. This can't be a conversation that happens only in the halls of the Capitol.
OFA was founded to make sure the voices of ordinary Americans are heard in Washington.
That's why I hope you'll be part of this, with OFA or in any way you can -- say you will today:
http://my.barackobama.com/Have-a-Say-In-This-Debate
Thanks,
Barack Obama
