Watch CBS News

Emanuel: Obama Doesn't Like Spending Bill

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel admitted to CBS News Chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer that President Obama does not like the omnibus spending bill, but that he will sign it.

"It sounds to me like what [President Obama is] about to do here is say, 'Well, I don't like this but I'm going to go ahead and sign it, but I'm going to warn you, don't ever do it again.' Is that what's about to happen here?" asked the host of Face The Nation.

Emanuel replied, "In not so many words, yes."

He also said that the White House expects to have congressional approval for their budget by April.

"There's a lot to compliment what this Congress has just pulled off," Emanuel said. "The president laid out his budget, and this Congress is already beginning to work. The activity will go forward in both the House and the Senate, and we are confident, because this Congress is here understanding the extraordinary time we find ourselves in, to meet that challenge and meet the president's objective of sending through an economic program."

Schieffer pointed out that the stimulus bill contains 9,000 earmarks, which appears to go against Mr. Obama's wishes for earmark-free legislation, but Emanuel said that the spending package also contains measures to remove obscurity from public spending.

"That policy has now been adopted because the most important thing is to be transparent and accountable for what you ask," he said, "because what the American people want to know is, do these individual congressional earmarks meet a worthy public objective, or are they just an individual desire of a member of Congress? And that's why transparency and accountability are so important."

More from Face The Nation (3.01.09):

  • Emanuel: Rush Limbaugh Prays For Obama's Failure
  • Read the full transcript> (pdf file)

    To watch video of Rahm Emanuel on Face The Nation click below.

  • View CBS News In
    CBS News App Open
    Chrome Safari Continue
    Be the first to know
    Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.