"I plead with members, turn down this budget, and let's do a budget that doesn't send this country back into deficits, " Gephardt said, referring to the economic conditions of the 1980s, which resulted, he said, from the tax cut implemented when former President Ronald Reagan took office.
Part of this is born of necessity: American states are facing their worst budgetdeficits in decades, so there isn't much money to lavish on great projects.
The European Commission has said it is focusing more on "structural" budget deficits which means it won't demand more cuts from governments if their failure to meet budget targets is caused by weaker-than-expected growth.