February 15, 2011
President Barack Obama has criticized the Iranian government for attacking peaceful demonstrators.
In a news conference Tuesday, the president said the people in Iran should be able to express their opinions and grievances, and seek a more responsive government.
He said he hopes he will continue to see the people of Iran have the courage to be able to express themselves.
Obama said the right signals are coming out of Egypt, and he called on governments in the Middle East to respond peacefully to protestors who are demonstrating peacefully. He said a lot of work remains to be done in Egypt, but what has happened so far is positive.
He said it is ironic how Iran says it welcomes what happened in Egypt, but then cracks down on protestors who gather in its own country.
On domestic matters, the president said the budget he unveiled Monday presses the federal government to live within its means, as American families have been forced to do in their own budgets.
Obama said the $3.7 trillion budget includes tough choices and significant spending cuts, so by the end of the decade the nation’s annual spending will match annual revenues. He said it includes key investments in places like education and science and technology.
He called on Democrats and Republicans to find common ground to work together.
Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, have slammed the spending proposal, saying it does not go far enough to reduce the deficit. Obama’s Democrats retain control of the Senate, making for what is expected to be a protracted partisan battle in Congress over federal spending.