President’s budget to be released April 10 — two months late

President Obama will release his much-anticipated budget on April 10th, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Thursday.

The proposal will arrive roughly two months late. Under budget law, the president was supposed to deliver his budget proposal by the first Monday in February, which fell on the 4th.

{mosads}The White House has said that uncertainty from the “fiscal cliff” debate delayed the budgeting process.

Congressional Republicans have pummeled Obama for blowing past the legal deadline. They note that this is the first time a president has proposed a budget after both the House and Senate have approved their own plans. 

Last Friday, the Senate approved a non-binding budget amendment to withhold the pay of top White House officials until Obama’s budget is submitted. The amendment was proposed by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), and no Democrats rose to defend the president.

The House passed a budget cutting $5.7 trillion in spending and balancing in 10 years last week with no Democratic votes. The Senate passed a budget with only Democratic support that never balances and raises taxes by $1 trillion.

Obama is expected to present a plan slightly more conservative than the one Senate Democrats have offered, with less tax revenue and more in the way of entitlement cuts. The budget could function as an opening bid in talks this summer over how to increase the nation’s $16 trillion debt ceiling.

On Thursday, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) sent a memo to his conference seeking input on how to handle the upcoming fiscal talks. The memo reiterated opposition to any new tax increases but toned down any rhetoric of using the debt ceiling to force more spending cuts. 

Last updated at 2:49 p.m.