Durbin: 'Gang of Six' May Offer Social Security Cuts

The bipartisan "Gang of Six" senators seeking to formulate a compromise budget for 2012 and beyond may well offer up cuts in Social Security, says group member Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., The Hill reports.

Economists agree that the budget deficit can’t be tamed without slicing entitlements – Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. A support for Social Security reform from Durbin would represent a break from liberal Democrats who are unwilling to touch Social Security – the so-called “third rail” of American politics.

"If we deal with it today, it's an easier solution than waiting,” Durbin told ABC News. “I think we ought to deal with it. Many of my colleagues disagree, [and would] put it off to another day."