News Update: Health Care Entitlement Programs A Focus In Budget Talks

Meanwhile, a poll released today shows Americans are "torn" over the issue of raising the debt limit, but more than half said they trust President Barack Obama to protect Medicare.

Politico: New Urgency In Joe Biden's Budget Talks
Thursday's discussions are expected to focus on taxes. Republicans oppose raising them to narrow the budget deficit, which means chopping away at entitlement programs such as Medicare that Democrats want to protect (Boak, 6/8).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Cantor Says 2012 GOP House And Senate Candidates Should Back Ryan's Budget Proposal
Republicans facing voters next year became skittish about Ryan's plan after a Democrat upset a Republican in a special election in a conservative New York state district last month where Ryan's budget cuts to the health care entitlement program for the elderly was a driving factor, particularly among seniors (6/8).

The Washington Post: Washington Post-ABC News Poll Shows Americans Torn Over Raising Debt Limit
Democrats have a nine-point edge on the trust question, but Republicans have momentum on the deficit issue. More voters now side with congressional Republicans than with President Obama, with a slim majority saying the debt should be tackled primarily through spending cuts, not new taxes. However, Republicans appear to have handed Obama an opening on Medicare in the budget blueprint they adopted this spring. Nearly half of voters say they trust the president to protect Medicare, compared with 35 percent who trust congressional Republicans (Montgomery and Cohen, 6/9).