President Obama's Weekly Radio Address (April 25, 2009)

HIGHLIGHTS:

Over the last three months my administration has taken aggressive action to confront an historic economic crisis. We're also building a new foundation for lasting prosperity that invests in quality education, lowers health care costs, and develops new sources of energy powered by new jobs and industries.

One of the pillars of that foundation must be fiscal discipline. We came into office facing a budget deficit of $1.3 trillion dollars for this year alone, and the cost of confronting our economic crisis is high. But we can't settle for a future our children can't pay.

Families are tightening their belts and making hard choices. Washington must show that same sense of responsibility. We cannot meet the challenges of today with old habits and stale thinking. Too often the result is wasteful spending and inefficient results. We must fundamentally change the way we do business in Washington.

That will demand new thinking for every dollar that is spent. Earlier this week I had my first cabinet meeting and sent a clear message: cut what doesn't work. Already, we've identified substantial savings. We will identify more than 100 programs that will be cut or eliminated.

We can't stop there. We need an all-hands-on-deck approach to reform government to reform fiscal discipline and make our government work better. First, new tax and entitlement policies should be paid for. This principal - PAYGO - helped turn deficits into surpluses in the 1990s. I'm asking Congress to pass PAYGO legislation so that government acts responsibly.

Second, we'll invest in what works. We want agencies to run effective programs. The result will be a smaller budget and a more effective government.

Third, we'll look for ideas from the bottom up: from workers, not just management. We'll put the suggestions that work into practice and I'll meet with those who came up with the suggestions.

Finally, we will reach beyond the halls of government. Many businesses and experts have great ideas. We must learn from them. We will host a forum on reforming government for the 21st century so that we're guided by voices from outside of Washington.

Government has a responsibility to spend our money wisely and serve our people effectively. Our government should be held to a higher standard for the American people.

Thanks.