GOPers: Outspend Dems on Medicare

By: Scott Wong
Politico.com
May 10, 2011 03:44 PM EDT

Senate tea partiers are lining up behind a novel Medicare proposal: Outspend President Barack Obama.

Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey on Tuesday rolled out a budget blueprint with Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), the chamber’s de facto tea party ring leader, and freshmen GOP Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin. The legislators all won election last fall with strong backing from the tea party.

Toomey’s fiscal 2012 budget would include $6.49 trillion in Medicare spending over the next decade. Obama’s budget request calls for $6.46 trillion for Medicare during that same period.

It’s an unlikely position for a group of fiscally conservative senators.

“Sen. Toomey has now allocated more money for Medicare than the president did,” said DeMint, adding that the Obama budget would cut the amount that Medicare pays physicians. “If you want to look at a real cut in Medicare, look at the president’s plan at this point.”

(More here.)