The $3.73 trillion budget sent to Congress by President Obama is the starting point for a difficult debate. Republicans in Congress scoffed at the president’s proposal as entirely insufficient.

But even Republicans are often reluctant to cut spending, and the president has laid out reductions in many programs that have broad support. Popular areas that are targeted include agricultural subsidies, the Corps of Engineers, defense spending, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Community Development Block Grant program.

Republicans and Democrats alike will fight to save programs they consider important. In Maine, both Democratic Rep. Chellie Pingree and Republican Sen. Olympia Snow criticized a deep cut proposed for the Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program. Maine’s allocation would be cut from $54.3 million to $26.5 million ”“ a harsh measure for the 65,000 Mainers who need help getting  through a hard winter.

One likely battleground will be those areas where the president believes it is prudent to spend more money: clean energy, education and high speed rail. Republicans are rallying their troops to shut down entire programs, like AmeriCorps and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

And although Republicans claim that the highest priority is for the government to live within its means, none of them are likely to acquiesce to the president’s plan to increase taxes on corporations and high-earning individuals.

An administration spokesman called the budget a “meaningful down payment” on the nation’s budget deficits. But as Republicans pointed out, even if a tight budget succeeds in reducing deficits, this won’t be enough to begin reducing our $14 trillion national debt.

To achieve that difficult goal, we’ll need a strong economy, a lean budget and taxes that fully reflect the costs of government.

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Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Nick Cowenhoven at nickc@journaltribune.com.