Obama March 3, 2009:

"Having inherited a trillion-dollar deficit that we're working to cut in half."

The $1.4 trillion deficit for the 2009 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, was about 10 percent of the gross domestic product.

Increasingly, even supporters are saying Mr. Obama cannot keep both his promise to bring deficits under control and his vow not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000.