In the run up to Election Day, we’re swapping our usual Tuesday “Public Pulse” post with a daily update of the latest polls. But unlike most, we won’t focus on the partisan horse race. Instead we’ll do what we’ve been doing all year: focus on the issues.

The Obama administration is projecting that the deficit for the 2011 budget year, which began on Oct. 1, will climb to $1.4 trillion. Over the next decade, it will total $8.47 trillion.

A look at the most important budget-related news and information from around the country.

As we have reported before, Robert Gates, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, has come out in support of trimming his department’s budget over the long run. Today, the Associated Press reports that Gates is pressuring his department to live within its means.