President Obama Rejects Republican Plan For Cutting Medicare, Medicaid

U.S. President Barack Obama reaffirmed his commitment to government safety net programs, announcing that all Americans have benefited from government programs — including entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, and safety nets like Unemployment Insurance. Calling the 10-year Republican plan unacceptable, Obama said that the Republican plan would create an America that is "fundamentally different than the America we know." Obama highlighted some of the unacceptable costs in the GOP budget, including a 70% cut in clean energy. "I believe it paints a vision of our future that is deeply pessimistic. It is a vision that says if our roads crumble and our bridges collapse, we cannot fix them," Obama said.