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Showing Original Post only (View all)Obama Tells Democrats They Must Be Open to Entitlement Changes [View all]
Source: Bloomberg
President Barack Obama told Senate Democrats that they should be open to changes in entitlement programs to achieve a long-term budget deal, according to several lawmakers who attended a meeting with him on Capitol Hill today.
Iowa Senator Tom Harkin said Obama told Democrats during the 90-minute meeting that he wanted a broad, bipartisan deficit-reduction deal this year. Harkin said Obama rebuffed his demand, joined by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, for an assurance that Medicare and Social Security benefits would be remain untouched in any grand bargain agreement.
Of course some of us responded yes, but, what is in that grand bargain? because we dont want to start whacking away at Social Security or Medicare, Harkin told reporters. He didnt make a commitment but he seemed to indicate that, yes, there are other ways of solving the entitlement problems without doing that.
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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, told reporters following the lunch that Republicans shouldnt regard Obamas words as an official offer to change entitlements since Republican congressional leaders have previously indicated they are willing to do certain things only to renege later.
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-12/obama-tells-democrats-they-must-be-open-to-entitlement-changes.html
And it begins....