Winston-Salem, N.C. - U.S. Senator Richard Burr will visit McDowell and Buncombe Counties this weekend. Senator Burr will keynote the McDowell County GOP Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner on Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. Senator Burr will then give the keynote address at the Buncombe County Lincoln Day Dinner on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, March 27

6:00 PM - Burr to Keynote McDowell County GOP Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner, Marion Community Building, 191 North Main Street, Marion, NC

Saturday, March 28

7:00 PM - Burr to Keynote Buncombe County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner, Four Points by Sheraton, 22 Woodfin Street, Asheville, NC

A bill introduced by Sen. Richard Burr on Wednesday would allow military spouses to claim the same home state as the service members to whom they are married.

Under current military law, a soldier can claim a single state - Florida, for instance - as his home of record no matter where the military sends him. But his wife doesn't have the same privilege.

"This bill would give a military spouse who moves out of state because of the service member's military orders the same option to claim one state of domicile, regardless of where they are stationed," Burr, a Republican from Winston-Salem, said.

Rep. John Carter, a Republican from Texas, reintroduced a similar bill in the House. His district includes Fort Hood, one of the Army's most populous posts.

The bill passed in the House during the last session of Congress but did not become law before Congress adjourned in December, according to Carter's office.

"We have long supported service member's ability to continue voting and paying taxes in one state over the course of a military career as they are transferred around the world on orders," Carter said in a statement released through his office. "I feel it has been an egregious oversight spanning decades that we have not extended that stability to spouses as well."

The bill - the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act - would make it easier for military family members to cope with routine matters when moving from state to state, Burr said.

Joy Dunlap, deputy director of Military Officers Association of America in Alexandria, Va., cheered the legislation. "This allows the spouse and service member to vote in the same state. We are talking about more choice for military spouses. It allows them to have stability by establishing a home base."

The legislation proposes to amend the Servicemember's Civil Relief Act, which does not cover spouses, Burr said.

"We think this makes common sense," Burr said. "I think had the authors of the original legislation thought about it long and hard, they probably would have included family members."

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, joined Burr in introducing the bill in the Senate.

"I think once people become familiar with this, they will find this to be probably something we can do by unanimous consent," Burr said.

The Military Spouse Business Association on its Web site urged military spouses to contact their congressional representatives to request their support for the bill.

"I think this is just a small way we can help ease the burden on military families who make a sacrifice every day," Burr said. "If we can alleviate one headache that exists in that military family's life, I think that's a tremendous benefit."

WASHINGTON, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A Republican Party spokesman says U.S. President Barack Obama's $3.55 trillion budget bill could make "the American Dream vanish."

Speaking Saturday in the GOP rebuttal to Obama's weekly radio and Internet address, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina said the spending contained in the budget bill will drive "the deficit to levels that were once thought impossible.

"Looking at the spending priorities of Democrats in Washington in the proposed budget and over the past month, it's hard to escape the reality that for the first time we could see the American Dream vanish," Burr said.

The GOP senator said the spending called for by president to staunch soaring unemployment and stop the meltdown of the U.S. financial system is "so large, and the deficits so staggering, it's difficult for the average person to imagine how much money we're talking about."

Burr said it's time for "those elected to lead. Will we rise to the challenge, and make the tough choices necessary? Or will we simply hand the obligation to our children and wish them good luck?"

CHICAGO (MarketWatch) -- President Barack Obama urged Congress to pass his $3.6 trillion budget, reiterating that the spending plan would reduce health-care costs, improve the education system and cut taxes for 95% of Americans.

During his weekly address, Obama said Saturday that he had promised to cut what he called "the crushing cost of health care -- a cost that bankrupts one American every thirty seconds, forces small businesses to close their doors, and saddles our government with more debt."

His plan, the president said, "keeps that promise."

Moreover, the budget Obama submitted on Thursday would improve education by offering "new incentives for teacher performance and pathways for advancement; new tax credits that will make college more affordable for all who want to go; and new support to ensure that those who do go finish their degree."

Obama repeated his promise that the budget would cut taxes for 95% of working Americans, while cutting off tax breaks for families making $250,000 a year. The plan would also end tax breaks for corporations that "ship our jobs overseas," he said.

Obama said he realizes it won't be easy to pass the spending plan, saying that insurance companies, banks and oil companies won't like key aspects of the budget.

"I know these steps won't sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they're gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this: So am I," the president said.

"I didn't come here to do the same thing we've been doing or to take small steps forward, I came to provide the sweeping change that this country demanded when it went to the polls in November."

In the Republican response to Obama's remarks, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina said the president's budget would increase the federal deficit to unacceptable levels. He urged Congress to make "tough choices" rather than green light more spending.

"If we just look at what our debt spending will cost us in interest payments alone, we are talking about 4 trillion dollars over the next 10 years, more than a billion dollars of interest payments every day," said Burr, R-N.C.

"Think of that 4 trillion as a finance charge on your credit card bill -- you have to pay, but you get nothing for it in return. This finance charge obligates more than $52,000 for every family in America over the same 10 year period."

WASHINGTON - Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., delivered the Republican weekly radio speech yesterday, and used the moment in the spotlight to criticize the ballooning federal deficit.

"Washington is in a state of denial. Our spending habits haven't gotten better; they've only gotten worse," he said.

President Obama said this week that he expects the deficit to hit $1.75 trillion this year and $1.2 trillion next year.

"It's long past time to show restraint and to make the tough choices that will help put our fiscal house in order," Burr said.