White House officials said President Obama would delay delivery of his fiscal year 2012 budget by about one week after February 14.
Administration officials cited the overlong confirmation period for budget director Jack Lew as the reason for the delay. Lew was nominated back in July but his appointment was held up in the Senate by Louisiana's Mary Landrieu as a protest on the ban of offshore drilling.
The drilling ban was subsequently lifted and Lew was confirmed in November.
The U.S. budget deficit for fiscal 2010, which ended on September 30, was $1.29 trillion. Obama last month heard recommendations from a bi-partisan deficit reduction panel on how to pare down that figure.
