MS. PERINO: Well, I don't know how they come to their -- all of the numbers at CBO. It's a little bit -- math is not my strong suit. But they certainly have said something that we said back in July, which is we think that there will be an increase in the deficit, a small one. And the details of what we think in terms of deficit projections will be out in full on February 4th once our budget comes out. What's important to note is that we believe that that short-term increase in the deficit will be because of the consensus that the leaders agree with that there -- we should have a economic stimulus package.

We're going to be working towards that. But at the same time, the President is going to continue to urge spending restraint so that we can make sure that it's temporary and we can get back on track so we can continue to have the benefits of the increased tax revenues that we've enjoyed over the past few years stemming from the President's tax cuts in 2003.

The other thing I would point is that CBO announced today that they are not forecasting a recession. The administration economists are not forecasting a recession, but what you do have consensus on is that we need to have a short-term shot in the arm for the economy so that we can avoid a potential downturn.

seen at 13:49, 23 January in Whitehouse Press Briefings. Email this to a friend.
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