Obama's proposed budget spending freeze sparks concern, guesswork

Obama's domestic policy agenda, which defined him as a president seeking to restore faith in government, is imperiled by his call for a "freeze" on spending, many advocates said Tuesday, as federal agencies scrambled to determine the proposal's impact.

The freeze would hold steady for the next three years the government's discretionary budget -- the portion of spending that Congress decides every year -- except for spending on the military, homeland security, the State Department and Veterans Affairs.