Coburn proposes $9 trillion deficit cut measure

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the Senate’s staunchest budget-cutters unveiled a massive plan today to cut the nation’s deficit by $9 trillion over the coming decade, including $1 trillion in tax increases opposed by most of his fellow Republicans. The plan by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is laced with politically perilous proposals like raising to 70 the age at which people can claim their full Social Security benefits. It would cut farm subsidies, Medicare, student aid, housing subsidies for the poor, and funding for community development grants. Coburn even takes on the powerful veterans’ lobby by proposing that some veterans pay more for medical care and prescription drugs.