Obama team pitches budget

TOP administration officials mounted a strong sales pitch on Capitol Hill yesterday for President Barack Obama’s day-old $3.8 trillion (€2.7tn) budget, saying it would help lift the economy and keep the nation strong.

Defence Secretary Robert Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the $768.2 billion defense part of the budget would help pay for “a broad portfolio of military capabilities” as it fights wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Gates said the spending would also help the United States “prepare for a much broader range of securitycapabilities”.