President Obama’s call for Social Security cuts has sparked outrage among progressives. In a statement, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka called the plan “wrong and indefensible.” A coalition of lawmakers and organizations has delivered petitions with more than 2.3 million signatures to the White House opposing the chained CPI. In return for his overture to Republicans, Obama’s budget calls for more than $500 billion in new taxes on the wealthy as well $78 billion in levies on tobacco. It also calls for cutting farm subsidies and raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour, lower than he has previously endorsed. House Speaker John Boehner praised Obama’s offer to cut social spending but rejected his bid for new taxes.

House Speaker John Boehner: “Why don’t we do what we can agree to do? Why don’t we find the common ground that we do have and move on that? The president got his tax hikes in January, and we don’t need to be raising taxes on the American people. So I’m hopeful in the coming weeks we’ll have an opportunity, through the budget process, to come to some agreement.”