Loven and Tapper on the Budget Cuts

Jennifer Loven questioned Robert Gibbs about the miniscule $100 million in budget cuts ("Today's Qs for O's WH - 4/20/2009, abcnews).  Gibbs tried to give a flippant answer and was called on it.  I have pulled out a couple of paragraphs.

JENNIFER LOVEN, AP:  The $100 million target figure that the president talked about today with the Cabinet, can you explain why so small?  I know he talked about -- you know, you add up 100 million and 100 million, and eventually, you get somewhere, but it would take an awfully long time to add up hundred million (inaudible) in the deficit.  Why not target a bigger number?

GIBBS:  (Smiling) Well, I think only in Washington, D.C. is a hundred million dollars...

LOVEN:  The deficit's very large.  It's not a joke...
TAPPER:  You were talking about an appropriations bill a few weeks ago about $8 billion being minuscule -- $8 billion in earmarks. We were talking about that and you said that that...