>> are gearing up for the next big battle with the gop over familiar heated topics. the budget and medicare reform. paul ryan is set to release his new budget next week but the chairman of the democratic congressional committee has come out swinging threatening to reignite a very bitter and controversial battle. in a new political op-ed, representative steve israel writes "this republican congress of chronic chaos is dusting off last year's same failed playbook where seniors would lose their medicare while republicans give more tax breaks to millionaires and big oil companies. i have one response, bring it on." thank you so much for joining us. i want to read it like bring it on. your words are very, very strong. as we understand it, there's a compromise in the works between congressman ryan and senator ron wyden on medicare reform.
>> there is no compromise.
>> there is no compromise.
>> there is no compromise when it comes to defending is the right of seniors to get their health care . this is a major dividing line between democrats and republicans . of democrats want to strengthen medicare . we also understand that you have to balance budgets. republicans want to balance budgets by asking seniors to pay an additional $6,000 and put them on an allowance to end medicare as we know it but won't ask oil company executives to sacrifice a nickel of the $40 billion subsidies we pay for them. that is the defining line between us .
>> as it's being reported, representative paul is working with democratic senator ron wyden on medicare reform that might propose keeping traditional medicare as an option alongside a privatized system. the conversations are very honest when you talk to folks around the country. it is not something that they want to touch, those who receive medicare . the realities of the situation, the gravity of the situation is something needs to be done.
>> there's no question and we have always said we will negotiate improvements to medicare , to strengthen medicare and protect medicare . we will not turning it into an allowance for senior citizens . we will not negotiate reducing benefits on seniors. i don't know what it is about these republicans that every year, it's like groundhog day . every march they wake up and say let's ends medicare as we know it and we're not going to let them get away with it.
>> the counter would be with many lawmakers on both sides, when this issue comes up, there's a bad case of fear factor on both sides in that nothing is done and the problem persists.
>> there are things that we can do. if we need to balance our budgets why don't we do cuts where cuts make sense but take a look at the revenue side. this is the dividing line. these house republicans are asking seniors to do without their medicare , to be put on a medicare allowance, we're putting the greatest generation on an allowance to spend an additional $6,000 a year on their medicare . but they're not willing to ask millionaires to spend another nickel. they're not willing to ask oil companies to forego a nickel of subsidies. there are things that can be done. let's make sure it's bold, big and balanced. house republicans refuse to endorse balance.
>> with all respect to you, of course, we've heard a lot of these points before. there's nothing here that's breaking from what you've just told me. so the reality of the situation at least from your words and what you've painted here is we're at a dead end again?
>> we're at a dead end . there is nothing new because the republicans continue deja vu all over again. every year, every march, you can mark it off on a calendar they say let's balance the budgets by ending medicare as we know it. for as long as they say that, we're going to fight it as the defining issue in this election. it should be medicare , not millionaires.
>> are you willing to fight it with an idea of what to do next here?
>> here's where we should start. rather than asking seniors to be the first to sacrifice medicare , let's ask oil company executives to be the first tore sacrifice. that's our starting point. meet us in the middle. talk about how we can ask the richest of the rich to do more rather than saying let's end medicare and ask seniors to dig deep near their pockets.
>> thank you so much for joining us. we'll see what fruits bear from this latest round of this.
Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/newsnation/46736898/
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