WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s budget proposal released on Monday stands little chance of becoming law but it lays out a stark contrast with the tax and spending proposals of Republican presidential candidates.

Following is a summary of Obama’s budget plan, as well as ideas put forward by the four Republicans remaining in the race for their party’s nomination to face Obama in the November 6 election:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s budget proposal released on Monday stands little chance of becoming law but it lays out a stark contrast with the tax and spending proposals of Republican presidential candidates.

Following is a summary of Obama’s budget plan, as well as ideas put forward by the four Republicans remaining in the race for their party’s nomination to face Obama in the November 6 election:

By Andy Sullivan

(Reuters) – Four years ago, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney stood at the gates of a Michigan factory and vowed to fight for the U.S. auto industry as it slid toward collapse.

Now, with Romney desperate for a win in Michigan’s primary on February 28, he will have to explain to voters why later in 2008, he called for the U.S. government to stand aside as auto companies at the brink of insolvency begged for help.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Texas billionaire Harold Simmons has vowed to give away at least half of his fortune before he dies. That’s good news for the hospitals, youth centers and ballet companies that benefit from his largesse – not to mention the Republican Party.

The Dallas tycoon, 80, has been among the most aggressive donors to take advantage of new rules that place few limits on how much money wealthy individuals and corporations can contribute to political groups.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – For Newt Gingrich, February could be the longest month.

Despite Tuesday’s resounding defeat in Florida, the former speaker of the House of Representatives has vowed to battle front-runner Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential race until the party formally nominates a candidate in August.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – For Newt Gingrich, February could be the longest month.

Despite Tuesday’s resounding defeat in Florida, the former speaker of the House of Representatives has vowed to battle front-runner Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential race until the party formally nominates a candidate in August.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (Reuters) – Presidential candidate Mitt Romney has opened up a lead of 8 percentage points over rival Newt Gingrich in a Reuters/Ipsos poll in Florida, as he regains front-runner status in the Republican race.

The online poll released on Friday showed Romney, a former Massachusetts governor and private-equity executive, ahead of Gingrich by 41 percent to 33 percent among likely voters in Florida’s January 31 Republican primary.

PALM HARBOR, Florida (Reuters) – There’s one small-government idea that Republican presidential candidates are reluctant to discuss in this retiree-heavy state: their plans to rein in health care costs for the elderly.

Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, front-runners for the Republican nomination to face Democratic President Barack Obama on November 6, both support reforms to the Medicare government health insurance program for the elderly that could help set federal spending on a sustainable course.

JACKSONVILLE, Florida (Reuters) – Republicans presidential candidates have taken a hands-off policy on the U.S. housing crisis. At a debate on Thursday in Florida, it devolved into finger pointing.

A question about the government’s involvement in the mortgage market prompted a fierce exchange between front-runners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich about who had closer ties to the troubled housing-finance firms that many conservatives blame for the housing crisis.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama’s campaign is preparing to attack Republican Mitt Romney’s business record with video of former workers from a Kansas City steel mill that went bankrupt while owned by Bain Capital, the company Romney co-founded.

The move is the latest sign that Obama’s campaign is firmly focused on the former Massachusetts governor despite Romney’s decisive loss to Newt Gingrich Saturday in the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina.