WASHINGTON (February 13, 2012)--President Barack Obama unveiled a $3.8 trillion spending plan for 2013 Monday that seeks to achieve $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade, but that does little to restrain growth in the government's huge health benefit programs, a major cause of future deficits.

Republicans immediately attacked Mr. Obama’s new budget as a retread of previously rejected ideas.

The budget battle is likely to be a major component of the fall election campaign.

The president would achieve $1.5 trillion of the deficit reductions in tax increases on the wealthy and by removing certain corporate tax breaks.

Mr. Obama rejected GOP charges of class warfare.

"This is not about class warfare. This is about the nation's welfare,” he said in his budget message.

Mr. Obama spoke Monday to students at Northern
Virginia Community College where he highlighted his budget’s education initiatives.

He’s calling on Congress to create an $8 billion fund to help connect community college students with businesses looking to hire workers for high-growth industries.

Mr. Obama says the fund could train 2 million workers in such sectors as health care, transportation and advanced manufacturing.

Even as the U.S. struggles to emerge from the economic downturn, some high-tech industries have a shortage of workers and it’s anticipated there will be 2 million job openings in manufacturing nationally through 2018.

As he promoted the community college fund and other proposals in his budget, Mr. Obama urged Congress not to stand in the way of "America's comeback."