President Barack Obama: Burwell

Obama Dept: WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has tapped Wal-Mart's Sylvia Mathews Burwell as his next budget chief, thrusting her into the centre of Washington's heated partisan budget battles, according to Winnipeg Free Press. Burwell's nomination comes as $85 billion in automatic budget cuts begin going into effect. The White House and congressional Republicans were unable to reach a deal to avert the cuts ahead of Friday's deadline and then President Clinton signs the omnibus budget bill in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, on October 21, 1998, as Deputy Budget Director Sylvia Mathews looks on. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, J. Scott Applewhite A White House official said Obama will announce Burwell's nomination to lead the Office of Management and Budget during a White House ceremony Monday morning. If confirmed by the Senate, Burwell would bring more diversity to Obama's second term Cabinet following criticism that many top jobs were going to white men. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.