Clyburn says compassion necessary in deficit talks

[April 26, 2011]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- The No. 3 Democrat in the House says he believes Congress and the White House can find a consensus on tackling the nation's growing indebtedness as long as "a lot of compassion" is brought to table.

But Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina tells MSNBC that government safety-net programs like Medicare and Medicaid must not "be shredded."

Clyburn is the highest-ranking African-American in Congress. He says that progress can be achieved in deficit negotiations "if sacrifices are, in fact, shared." He also says he thinks Democrats are willing to give some on entitlement program changes so long as Republicans show a willingness to work on closing loopholes in the tax code that benefit the wealthy.

Clyburn says "we have got to come to grips with spending as well as revenue."

[Associated Press]

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.