 The 2012 United States federal budget was the budget to fund government operations for the fiscal year 2012 , which lasted from October 1 , 2011 through September 30 , 2012 . The original spending request was issued by President Barack Obama in February 2011 . That April , the Republican @-@ held House of Representatives announced a competing plan , The Path to Prosperity , emboldened by a major victory in the 2010 Congressional elections associated with the Tea Party movement . The budget plans were both intended to focus on deficit reduction , but differed in their changes to taxation , entitlement programs , defense spending , and research funding . 
