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Meanwhile, the White House pushed back against criticism that Mr. Obama had abandoned a commitment to long-term deficit reduction. Officials pointed to steps already taken to reduce health-care costs. ... An improving economy has sharply reduced annual deficits from more than $1 trillion early in Mr. Obama’s first term, when the government boosted spending sharply during the financial crisis. That has reduced the urgency for a deal to rein in spending on Social Security and Medicare, both of which are projected to boost deficits in the next decade as the baby boom generation retires. (Timiraos and Lee, 2/2)

The Republican preference is for continued austerity and lower taxes, which will probably be reflected in their own budget plans expected next month. To boost Pentagon spending as defense hawks want, their budgets are expected to slash more deeply into food stamps, healthcare and other safety-net programs. Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), the House Budget Committee chairman, promised Sunday on Fox News that a Republican budget would re-imagine Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, and “will do what the American people have to do with their homes and in their businesses every single day — and that’s not spend more money than what comes in.” (Mascaro and Hennessey, 2/2)

Outside budget hawks, though, gave Obama poor marks for his approach to entitlement programs. “Failing to address the drivers of the debt will ultimately undermine the president's other priorities,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. “The focus on promoting investment today will do little good if our massive debt is choking the investments of tomorrow.” The budget does propose changes to Medicare designed to curb its share of total government spending. The administration is planning to expand initiatives designed to further slow Medicare spending, which has been growing at historically low levels in recent years. (Hennessey and Parsons, 2/2)

Absent from the plan is any pretense of trying to address the main drivers of the long-term debt — Social Security and Medicare — a quest that has long divided both parties and ultimately proved impossible. The document instead indicates that Mr. Obama, after years of being hemmed in on his fiscal priorities because of politics and balance sheets, feels newly free to outline an ambitious set of goals that will set the terms of a debate between Democrats and Republicans and shape the 2016 presidential election. (Hirschfeld Davis, 2/2)