the house this week which doesn't begin to do the job in which a former republican congressman, ray lahoud, called the worst transportation bill he has seen while in congress. that does not get the job done. as we nurture the recovery, we have to support the economy growing in a steady and predia e predictable way. this budget lowers the deficit as a share of the economy until it is under 3% of gdp and it stabilizes the debt as a percent of the economy. the president does this not by slashing defense and domestic investments as would happen under the sequester but by taking a balanced approach. the question is how do we reduce the deficit and the president's approach is the balanced approach. it's the frame work from the bipartisan commissions, it adopts the very -- the cuts that we made in discretionary spending. it cuts mandatory spending. and it does something else. it lieliminates the special interest tax rates and asks t wealthy americans to go back to paying that tax rate that was in force during the clinton administration. if they take a lopsided approach and further slash invests i

. >> ray lahoud is in the house. give ray a big round of applause. it is always an honor to spend time with folks who represent the working men and women of america. it is unions like yours that fought for jobs and opportunity for generations of american workers. it is unions like yours that that help build the arsenal of democracy, defeat of fascism and won world war ii. unions like yours that forged the american middle class. the great engine of prosperity the greatest the world has ever known. guys helped to right the american story. >> president barack obama peg at the autoworkers conference in washington. about 1600 people are at that annual national community action program legislative conferences called. the president is expected to speak about -- remind workers that automakers made their comeback because of the government bailout of the industry. he hasn't said that yet. he is expected to say that this morning. meanwhile, police and school leaders in ohio just wrapped up a news conference talking about the deadly school shooting near clevelan