House easily rejects Obama budget in tactical vote

March 22, 2012: House Speaker John Boehner speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)

WASHINGTON – Before taking up their own budget plan for next year, House Republicans pushed a version of President Obama's $3.6 trillion budget to the floor for a vote, and it was it was unanimously defeated, 414-0.

Republicans have opposed Obama's budget all year, criticizing its tax increases on the wealthy and saying it lacks sufficient spending cuts.

The vote came as the House debated a GOP budget that contains far more deficit reduction than Obama has proposed.

GOP lawmakers forced the vote on Obama's plan as a tactical move aiming at embarrassing Democrats. The Democrats have defended Obama's budget priorities, but they largely voted "no" Wednesday night.

Republicans said Democrats were afraid to vote for Obama's proposed tax increases and extra spending for energy and welfare. Democrats said Republicans had forced a vote on a version of Obama's budget that contained only its numbers, not the policies he would use to achieve them.

The budget was offered by Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., to show how few votes the president's budget might get.

House Republicans last tried this same tactic in 2000 on President Clinton's budget.

House Democrats floated three of President Reagan's budgets in the 1980s. Those budgets collected 28, 15 and one votes, respectively.

Fox News' Chad Pergram and The Associated Press contributed to this report