President Barack Obama asked government agencies on Wednesday to slash¹ $4 billion in spending on things like travel, printing and coffee mugs, in his latest effort to sidestep Congress and help the economy.

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。

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.
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 Democrat² is trying to put pressure on opposition³ Republicans to work with him on his $447 billion jobs package and other legislative⁴ 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 bureaucrats⁵（官僚） 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 entirely⁶ appropriate for our governments and our agencies to try to root out（根除，发现） 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 gadgets⁷ and memorabilia（大事记） 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 infrastructure⁸ to help grow the economy and create jobs."