Just In Case There Hasn't Been Enough Spent Yet

A helpful guide to Obama's budget working it's way through Congress right now.

1. Congress holds the purse strings. [. . .] The goal: to try to contain skyrocketing deficits under Obama's proposal.
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2. There will be a conference committee. Sometimes the two chambers are able to resolve their differences by ping-ponging the budget resolution back and forth between them [A good example of this: The Anatomy of a Scam]
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3. Reconciliation is probably in the cards. Though Senate leaders have yet to officially declare their intention to use reconciliation, all but a handful of Senate Democrats support using the maneuver for health-care reform, as do senior administration officials. The powerful procedural maneuver creates a privileged bill that cannot be filibustered in the Senate. That means Democrats could pass the measure with 51 votes -- without any help from Republicans -- instead of the usual 60 votes needed to get anything significant and controversial accomplished.
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4. The budget does not enact Obama's agenda.
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5. Despite some squabbling, the Democrats have the votes [ed. They will OWN it]. Though centrist Democrats in both chambers have complained about the massive deficits, the party is united behind the president's core goals [Emphasis mine, so ignore step 4 above].