President Barack Obama asked government agencies on Wednesday to slash $4 billion in spending on things like travel, printing and coffee mugs, in his latest effort to sidestep Congress and help the economy.
　　The White House order on cost-cutting is the latest in a series of small-scale initiatives Obama has been carrying out that do not require congressional approval.
　　By taking the executive actions, the Democrat is trying to put pressure on opposition Republicans to work with him on his $447 billion jobs package and other legislative proposals, and blame them for failing to act in the country's best interest.
　　Wednesday's order urges agencies to use teleconferences and videoconferences to cut down on travel and to reduce printing costs by making more information available electronically.
　　Government bodies are also being encouraged to limit the number of laptops, cellphones, smart phones and other devices issued to bureaucrats and workers to cut unnecessary costs.
　　Obama told reporters at the White House the order would cut spending in the targeted areas by 20 percent.
　　"At a time when families have had to cut back, have had to make some tough decisions about getting rid of things that they don't need in order to make the investments that they do, we thought that it was entirely appropriate for our governments and our agencies to try to root out waste, large and small," he said during a short signing ceremony.
　　In attention to operations-related budget items, the order also calls for less spending on "swag" -- promotional clothing, branded coffee mugs and other gadgets and memorabilia that government agencies sometimes buy with tax dollars.
　　An administration official said the estimated $4 billion saved by the measure would be reinvested in "things that really matter" like "our nation's infrastructure to help grow the economy and create jobs."
　　美国总统贝拉克•奥巴马本周三要求政府机构削减40亿美元开支，比如用于差旅、印刷、以及咖啡杯等的开销，这也是奥巴马回避国会、帮助经济恢复的最新举措。
　　奥巴马最近推出了一系列无需国会批准的小规模刺激措施，白宫削减开支的要求是最新一项。
　　通过采取这些行政举措，奥巴马正试图给反对党派的共和党人施压，与自己合作开展4470亿美元的就业刺激计划，以及其他的立法建议，并指责共和党没能以国家利益为上。
　　奥巴马本周三还要求各机构使用电话会议和视频会议，通过电子化办公，削减差旅费和打印费用。
　　此外，他还鼓励政府机构限制发放给员工的笔记本电脑、普通手机、智能手机和其他设备的数量，以减少不必要开销。
　　奥巴马在白宫告诉记者，这项措施将减少目标区域20%的花销。
　　他在一个简短的签字仪式上说：“现在美国的家庭都不得不减少开支，不得不作出艰难的决定，减少不必要的开支才有钱投资。我们觉得政府机构尝试根除浪费很有必要，不管规模大小。”
　　在与政府运作有关的预算项目方面，奥巴马还要求大家减少“赃物”，比如有时用税收购买的作为奖励的衣服，名牌咖啡杯，以及其他物件和纪念品。
　　一位政府官员透露，通过这些措施节省的大约40亿经费将重新投资于“大事”，比如“帮助促进经济增长，创造就业机会的全美基础设施建设”。