President lauds CBO numbers on healthcare

The healthcare package scored by the Congressional Budget Office will significantly reduce the deficit, President Barack Obama said Thursday.

“That makes this the most significant effort to reduce the deficit since the balanced budget act of the 1990s,” he said, lauding the new CBO numbers.

He hailed the CBO projection that the Democrats' healthcare reform legislation would reduce the deficit by $1.3 trillion over the next two decades during a Rose Garden appearance with lawmakers.

Obama is furiously lobbying recalcitrant Democrats to vote for the healthcare bill this week, and he suggested Thursday that deficit reduction should factor into their decision.

“I urge every member of Congress to consider this as they prepare for their important vote this weekend,” Obama said.

Democrats need 216 members of their caucus to support the healthcare package for it to clear the House.

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