Durbin wants new fiscal commission. Wants to raise retirement age, cut COLA.

[madfloridian]

15. Durbin in 2011

"We're very, very close," Durbin said. "And there's a sense of urgency. Our relevance is going to be hooked to our timeliness. If we wait too long, we may not be players. And a lot of people are counting on us to be players."

Durbin criticized a resolution put forward by Sen. Bernie Sanders, a liberal independent from Vermont, that says Social Security should not be cut under a deficit reduction plan. Durbin said he would not vote for such a resolution.

"I think Bernie is going too far with his language," Durbin said.

"In 2037, as we know it, Social Security falls off a cliff," he said. "There's a 22 percent reduction rate in payments, which is really not something we can tolerate. If we deal with it today, it's an easier solution than waiting. I think we ought to deal with it. Many of my colleagues disagree, put it off to another day. But from my point of view, leaving it out makes it easier politically, including it, I think, meets an obligation, which we have to senior citizens."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/sen-dick-durbin-social-security-cuts-ruled/story?id=13400977#.UVC65jc6z4s