As CEOs, labor leaders, and economists gather at the White House Thursday to discuss how to accelerate U.S. job creation, their challenge is tackling double-digit unemployment while keeping the deficit under control.

President Bush sent Congress a proposed $2.9 trillion spending blueprint, which includes $245 billion for military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. White House budget Director Ron Portman and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., debate the numbers.