The Hill News

President Obama renewed his demand that education funding be left untouched by a round of budget cuts making their way through Congress.

Obama, speaking at the preparatory TechBoston Academy in Massachusetts, said he would not stand for cuts in investment in education that he deemed critical.

"I've proposed eliminating nearly 200 programs that aren't working as well as they should ... and I'm willing to do more to get the deficits under control," Obama said. "But, even as we find ways to cut spending, we cannot cut back on job-creating investments like education."

Obama's remarks suggest that while there's room to budge in negotiations between the White House and members of Congress over spending levels the rest of this fiscal year, there's only so far the administration is willing to go, especially in education.

The president called for a five-year freeze in domestic, discretionary spending in his State of the Union, a move ! that would produce savings that Democrats claim would meet Republicans halfway in their demand to cut existing spending by $57 billion. (The Democratic plan would in reality cut $6.5 billion from current spending.)

Obama asked Vice President Biden, chief of staff William Daley and other aides to hash out a deal with House and Senate leaders before the government runs out of funding on March 18.

But he sent a warning shot that cuts to education would not be acceptable, though he stopped short of the veto threat he issued for House Republicans' initial proposal.

"There's nothing responsible about cutting back on our investment in these young people," Obama said. "A budget that sacrifices our commitment to education is a budget that sacrifices our future. I will not let it happen."