State of the Union

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- The State of the Union address that President Obama delivers Wednesday evening will not be the one he had hoped to give.

The White House and Democrats in Congress had hoped to announce the passing of healthcare reform but the election of Republican Scott Brown to Teddy Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts put paid to that.

Brown's victory deprived Senate Democrats of their filibuster-proof 60 seat supermajority enabling Republicans to block a health bill.

The Massachusetts election and polls show wide public dissatisfaction with current healthcare reform legislation and a strong concern more be done about jobs and the economy.

With his approval numbers dipping below 50 percent for the first time the president is getting the message. His speech will announce a three-year freeze on discretionary federal spending estimated to cut the deficit by $250 billion over the years.

"It's a step in the right direction but a small step," Congressional Budget Office chief Doug Elmendorf said. The CBO is projecting a $1.35 trillion deficit for 2010, saying the economy is on an "unsustainable path."

The president will also unveil several measures to help the middle class. Tax credits for child- and eldercare will be expanded and minimum payments on federal student loans reduced. Senior White House staff salaries will also be frozen.

Observers will be listening closely to what the president says about the future of healthcare reform as well as other big-ticket legislative initiatives such as the energy cap-and-trade bill.