Dems: Obama MIA on Budget Battle

It’s not just Republicans who are angry about President Barack Obama’s disengagement from the budget debate. Senate Democrats told White House advisers in strong terms Thursday that the president needs to get more involved, Democratic sources told The Hill.

Obama sent budget director, Jack Lew and National Economic Council Director Gene Sperling to deal with the alienated Democrats. “I don’t think they’re enjoying coming up here that much during budget season,” a Senate Democratic source told The Hill. The senators made their points “loud and clear,” he said. “The message to the White House is we need to ramp this up, we need to get going.”

A White House official declined to discuss the conflict. Democrats on Capitol Hill say they don’t know how Obama will react.