President Obama, who is a Democrat, says he has gone more than halfway to meet concerns of Republican lawmakers who have resisted tax increases.
House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, gives Mr. Obama credit for seeking more savings from Social Security and other big entitlement programs. But he says the president’s proposals are another attempt to increase taxes.
“He does deserve some credit for some incremental entitlement reforms that he has outlined in his budget. But I would hope that he would not hold hostage these modest reforms for his demand for bigger tax hikes.”
The president is proposing savings by using a new method to set cost of living increases for Social Security payments. But this proposal has angered many members of Mr. Obama’s Democratic Party.
Another critic, Senator Bernie Sanders, is an independent. He says the proposal is a cancellation of a promise Mr. Obama made as a presidential candidate.
“When Barack Obama was running for president in 2008, he said that he would not cut Social Security.”
Mr. Obama defended his Social Security offer and changes to Medicare, the health insurance program for older adults and Americans with disabilities. But he says any compromise must not hurt Americans who depend on these programs.
“I do not believe that all these ideas are optimal. But I am willing to accept them as part of a compromise, if and only if they contain protections for the most vulnerable Americans.
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25