Some Republicans are already squirming over a vote that provides a ready-made campaign ad for their opponents: Rep. Paul Ryan’s fiscal 2012 budget, which will restructure Medicare, alter Medicaid funding and slash $6 trillion from federal spending over 10 years.
When queried by POLITICO, more than a dozen offices either pointed to week-old nonstatements expressing vague support for the plan or refused to indicate whether the member planned to support it on the floor.
One freshman representative in a senior-heavy state, Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, released a statement calling the proposal an “important step in what will be a serious, and at times difficult, conversation” about spending.
“I hope that my constituents will take time to familiarize themselves with this proposal and be active participants in this national discussion,” Fitzpatrick said in the statement.
