Obama's Valentine's Day proposal: A budget

WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- President Obama will deliver his budgetary love note to the U.S. Congress around Feb. 14, about a week later than planned, an administration official said.

The delay was caused by the six weeks it took the U.S. Senate to confirm budget director Jack Lew, and by issues left hanging from the lame-duck session, such as passing a continuing resolution keep government operating until March instead of for the entire fiscal year, Politico reported Tuesday.

Obama promised to use the budget to take dramatic action to carve away at the trillion-dollar deficit, and is expected to add to the spending and pay freezes he already announced. He also said he would use ideas in a proposal from 11 of the 18 members of his deficit-reduction commission, including cuts to defense and tax code subsidies, as well as reforms to Medicare and Social Security.

Republicans who will take over the House of Representatives in January also vowed to slash at least $100 billion in government spending in 2011.

The administration said Obama will preview his budget proposals in his State of the Union speech, expected to be delivered sometime around Feb. 1.