ARI SHAPIRO, host:
There's more bad news on the economy today. The Congressional Budget Office announced that the federal budget deficit will hit $1.2 trillion this year. That's one of the subjects President-elect Barack Obama discussed in a news conference earlier this morning. He also made a new appointment, and we'll have more on that in a moment. But first, NPR's Brian Naylor here with all of the latest news. He joins us live. And first, Brian, let's listen to what President-elect Obama said about this latest deficit number.
BRIAN NAYLOR: All right.
(Soundbite of news conference)
President-elect BARACK OBAMA: We're going to be inheriting a trillion-plus dollar deficit. And if we do nothing, then we will continue to see red ink as far as the eye can see.
SHAPIRO: So, Brian, what's he planning to do?
NAYLOR: Well, as you know, Ari, he has been talking for some time about a stimulus package. He's been negotiating, or meeting with congressional leaders about the size of it and what exactly it will entail. He said that it's probably going to be on the high end of estimates, which have ranged from 800 million to - I'm sorry, 800 billion to $1.2 trillion. And he's saying that it's going to be closer to the high end of that.
It's going to include some tax cuts and also a lot of old-fashioned - perhaps not old-fashioned - but some public-works projects that involve everything from, you know, what the states need in terms of roads and bridges to retrofitting federal buildings and schools in hopes of turning the economy around and also starting some green jobs.
SHAPIRO: Well, as we mentioned, he also announced a new appointment this morning. Nancy Killefer is going to be the country's first chief performance officer. What exactly does that title mean?
NAYLOR: It sounds pretty wonky, doesn't it? Chief performance officer. Well, she is someone who has come from experience in the private sector in a management-consulting capacity and also has worked for the Treasury Department. Mr. Obama said today that she helped prepare the IRS for the Y2K problems. She is someone who's going to come in and scrub the budget, look over line by line what programs work, what programs don't work, in a way - in an effort to keep the deficit under control. Obviously, Mr. Obama said today it's going to have to go up because of the stimulus, because of all of the bailouts, and because of the lousy economy.
Her job is going to be to keep it from increasing needlessly, and going over and trying to determine what's working in the government and what isn't. What I thought was interesting, she said that, you know, she's going to have to be working with federal employees, which by and large have been rather dispirited for the last eight years in the Bush administration.
SHAPIRO: And then there's Roland Burris, the man tapped to fill Mr. Obama's Senate seat, who was turned away yesterday when he tried to take his seat. He met with Democratic leaders this morning. And tell us the latest about what's happening there.
NAYLOR: Well, the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, spoke just moments ago, and after meeting with Mr. Burris, said that they still need to see the signature on his certificate from the secretary of state in Illinois before they're willing to seat him, and that there is - that's going to be decided by the Supreme Court in Illinois, whether or not the secretary of state should in fact certify his appointment. And if that happens, the clear implication is that he will be seated by the Democrats in the Senate. ..TEXT: SHAPIRO: Thanks, Brian.
NAYLOR: All right, Ari. Thank you.
SHAPIRO: That's NPR congressional correspondent Brian Naylor.