The biggest news in politics this week was the President’s announcement of his budget for fiscal year 2013, clocking in at $3.7 trillion with a $901 billion deficit. Obama’s budget has little chance of passing the Republican-dominated House of Representatives, and the Congress may continue its recent track record of not passing a budget and instead funding the government by continuing resolution. The New York Times breaks down the budget in an excellent graphic, and as always, Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security and interest on our debt would remain the largest expenditures, all receiving moderate increases under the budget.

Robbie Ottley

Defense spending comes in at fourth, and would take pretty significant cuts. The budget would somewhat decrease expenditures for federal student loans, but overall would increase education spending by 2.5 percent.

With Congress reaching an agreement on extending the payroll tax this week, Politico writes that Congress is unlikely to pass very much of anything during the rest of 2012. With elections coming up in November and a split House and Senate, this seems like a unfortunate but realistic course of action.

As Gail Collins wrote Thursday, Congress can continue to successfully name post offices.

Politico puts together a set of recent articles in which the Romney campaign declined to comment, though the campaign somewhat took umbrage with that assessment. Romney hasn’t been inaccessible to the media this primary season, but in sit-down television interviews, he hasn’t exactly been comfortable.

Finally, if this picture of Michelle, Sasha, Malia and Bo Obama playing in the snow doesn’t stir at least some heartstrings, you probably should get that checked out.