WASHINGTON, Feb 17 (Reuters) – U.S. job creation will
pick up this year as a moderate economic recovery continues, the
White House said on Friday, but it faces a key risk from the
debt crisis in Europe.

Stronger job growth will aid President Barack Obama as he
seeks re-election in November, but his annual economic report
warned that the road ahead could be bumpy .

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping stood his ground on Tuesday against criticism from his American hosts over Beijing’s currency and business practices, insisting China was acting on U.S. concerns and hoped for similar treatment from Washington.

Reacting to remarks from U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, his host in the United States, China’s leader-in-waiting did not mince his words in pushing back against a laundry list of complaints about doing business in his country.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Vice President Joe Biden pledged to tackle U.S.-China differences head-on as he welcomed Beijing’s leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping for talks on Tuesday that could set the tone for relations between the two rival powers over the next decade.

Xi’s White House visit was the centerpiece of a U.S. trip that could help the Chinese vice president boost his international standing and show he is capable of steering his country’s crucial relationship with Washington.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama called on Monday for new spending to boost growth and higher taxes on the rich, laying out an election-year vision for America in a budget that drew heavy fire from Republicans for failing to curb huge deficits.

Obama’s 2013 spending proposal is expected to go nowhere in a divided Congress and is widely seen as more of a campaign document that frames his economic pitch to voters and seeks to shift the focus from deficits to economic growth.

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama
called on Monday for aggressive spending to boost growth and for
higher taxes on the rich, laying out an election-year vision for
America in a budget that drew heavy fire from Republicans for
failing to curb huge deficits.

Obama’s 2013 spending proposal is expected to go nowhere in
a divided Congress and is widely seen as more of a campaign
document that frames his economic pitch to voters and seeks to
shift the focus from deficits to economic growth.

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama
will propose an election-year budget on Monday that raises taxes
on millionaires and seeks billions of dollars for job-creating
infrastructure projects, drawing a populist battle line with his
Republican opponents.

Obama’s fiscal 2013 budget proposal to Congress will defer
significant cuts in the deficit until the economy is securely
back on track, a priority as he seeks re-election in November,
while outlining measures to shrink that funding gap over time.

Washington (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, Jacob Lew, defended his boss on Sunday for failing to cut the U.S. budget deficit, making the election-year argument that now was the wrong time to impose austerity measures that could sap an economic recovery.

Republicans have slammed Democrat Obama for laying out a budget plan that raises taxes on the rich, which they view as designed to help his campaign for re-election on November 6, rather than controlling the growth of the U.S. deficit and debt.

Washington, Feb 12 (Reuters) – President Barack
Obama’s chief of staff, Jacob Lew, defended his boss on Sunday
for failing to cut the U.S. budget deficit, making the
election-year argument that now was the wrong time to impose
austerity measures that could sap an economic recovery.

Republicans have slammed Democrat Obama for laying out a
budget plan that raises taxes on the rich, which they view as
designed to help his campaign for re-election on Nov. 6, rather
than controlling the growth of the U.S. deficit and debt.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will seek billions of dollars for jobs and infrastructure in his 2013 budget, an appeal to voters that draws election-year battle lines over taxes and spending as Republicans slammed him for “debt, doubt and decline.”

Obama’s budget proposal, which he will submit to Congress on Monday, will project a much smaller deficit in 2013 compared with this year, White House officials said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will project lower deficits and request billions of dollars for infrastructure and jobs in his 2013 budget, laying out a plan he will sell to voters in November, despite Republicans criticism of rising federal debts.

Obama’s budget proposal, which he will submit to Congress on Monday, will project a $901 billion deficit for fiscal 2013, a sharp drop from the $1.33 trillion funding gap that is predicted for this year, a senior administration official said on Friday.