Democrats control two of the three institutions that determine federal priorities and laws, but you would never know that by the way Tea Party-inspired Republicans in the House steamrolled President Obama and Senate Democrats in the latest budget showdown designed to cut $38.5 billion from the fiscal year that is already half over.

In exchange for approving budget funding to keep the federal government afloat through the fiscal year that ends September 30, Republicans demanded significant spending reductions. Slightly more than half of the cuts are aimed at favorite GOP targets: education, health and labor programs. Of the $38.5 billion in overall reductions, roughly $20 billion would come from domestic discretionary programs and $17.8 billion would be taken from mandatory programs.

In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency, another favorite whipping boy of conservatives, had its budget slashed $1.6 billion, representing16 percent of its budget.

That was just a prelude to an even larger battle to raise the federal debt limit, which must be done before early July to prevent wreaking international havoc and sidetracking the nation’s fragile economic recovery. Republicans, many of whom were disappointed that even deeper cuts were not made for this fiscal year, are gearing up for that battle as well as another epic standoff over the 2012 budget.

If Republicans win, the cuts will strike at the heart of the Obama agenda while maintaining tax cuts for the wealthy and protecting big business.

President Obama has been both praised and criticized over the way he operates, preferring to let Congress take the lead on such important issues as health care and budget reform.

In an attempt to show that he is not just an idle bystander, the president gave a speech Thursday at George Washington University in which he sought to contrast his approach to reducing deficits with his GOP critics.

Taking direct aim at House budget chairman Paul D. Ryan (D-Wis.), the author of a sweeping GOP proposal that would drastically reduce social spending, Obama told his Washington, D.C. audience: “These are the kind of cuts that tells us we can’t afford the America that I believe it,” he said. “I believe it paints a vision of our future that’s deeply pessimistic. There’s nothing serious about a plan that claims to reduce the deficit by spending a trillion dollars on tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires.”

A more responsible approach, Obama argued, would be to implement an assortment of measures designed to make the wealthy pay their fair share, including eliminating tax cuts for those making more than $250,000 a year ($500,000 for couples) and raising the cap on when employees stop paying into Social Security each year, which is now about $108,000 a year. Obama also favors corporations assuming a larger share of the burden, especially those that pay little or no federal taxes because of loopholes. Traditionally, Republicans have opposed this approach to reducing the size of government.

Obama is hoping to bridge part of the ideological gulf by falling back on some of the recommendations of his bipartisan deficit commission that favored raising some taxes and placing caps on mortgage deductions.

Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee, said poor and middle-class citizens are bearing the brunt of the cuts. “Poor and middle-class families have already received more than their fair share of pain in this economy,” Miller said, “while the wealthy and special interests have paid no price.”

On the surface, it seems like Obama and the GOP share the same goal. The president wants to reduce the federal budget deficits by $4 trillion over 12 years. Republicans want to cut $4.3 trillion over 10 years. The sticking point is how best to reduce the growing deficits – and that’s where differing political philosophies take center stage.

“Here are two numbers to keep in mind when thinking about the House Republicans’ budget plan: They want to cut spending on government programs over the next decade by $4.3 trillion. And they want to cut tax revenues over the same period by $4.2 trillion,” the New York Times pointed out in an editorial. “Government spending needs to be brought under control. But slashing vital services just to pay for more tax cuts is bad public policy and bad economics.”

The Education, Labor and Health and Human Services department represent approximately 28 percent of non-defense spending. Yet, they will make up 52 percent – $19.8 billion – of the cuts this year. There is also an across-the-board department and agency cut totaling $1 billion.

The District of Columbia was also a loser in the budget process after House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) backed a provision than bans federal and local spending for abortions and insisted on a private school voucher plan. Mayor Vincent C. Gray and several members of the city council were arrested at a Capitol Hill rally protesting the action by Congress.

Boehner was able to push the budget measure through the House with a significant number of Democratic supporters that made up for GOP defections from the conservative Tea Party wing. It passed the House on a vote of 260-167, with 179 Republicans supporting it and 59 Republicans opposing.

More Democrats opposed the compromise than supported it; 108 voted against the measure and 81 voted for it. Division among Democrats was underscored by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) decision to vote against the budget measure and former Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) backing it.

The Senate passed the budget bill 81-19.

According to CBS News, Obama was overheard telling donors in Chicago Thursday how he had stood up to John Boehner.

“I said, ‘You want to repeal health care? Go at it. We’ll have that debate. You’re not going to be able to do that by nickel-and-diming me in the budget. You think we’re stupid?’”

Tough talk aside, it is still unclear how Boehner, with the White House and Senate controlled by Democrats, was able to win a disproportionate number of concessions from Democrats.

In a speech to the GOP faithful in Stamford, Conn. after the vote, Boehner said he never thought there would be a government shutdown.

“…The goal is not to shut down the government. The goal is to cut spending in Washington, D.C., he said.

Another Boehner goal was to place Obama and Senate Democrats on the defensive by going to the brink and giving the impression that unless they got the spending cuts they wanted, the federal government would indeed shut down. Republican leaders with control of only the House played a game of political chicken and are bragging that Democrats blinked.

But Obama and his supporters are also claiming victory, noting that GOP budget reduction goals for this year fell from $100 billion initially to $38.5 billion and that they were able to stave off efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.

While both sides are claiming victory, each is preparing for the next bruising round of budget fights.

George E. Curry, former editor-in-chief of Emerge magazine and the NNPA News Service, is a keynote speaker, moderator, and media coach. He can be reached through his website, www.georgecurry.com. You can also follow him at www.twitter.com/currygeorge .