Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan conceded Tuesday that Americans making more than $250,000 should pay more in taxes.
“There’s only so much money to go around,” Mr. Ryan said. “Wealthier people are going to pay more.”
The Wisconsin Republican, who sparked a national debate with a proposal to replace Medicare with a private voucher program, noted that cost-cutting measures were necessary in order to reduce the nation’s deficit.
“The thing that tears the social contract is insolvency,” said Mr. Ryan. “Means-testing is an obvious solution to our fiscal problems,” he said. “The alternative is everybody gets cut, so why don’t we put the money where it should go — to the people who need it.”
Mr. Ryan’s comment follows in the wake of remarks made by former House speaker Newt Gingrich. Mr. Gingrich termed Mr. Ryan’s proposal “right-wing social engineering” earlier this month, later saying he misspoke.
The Wisconsin Republican’s comment also follow in the wake of election results in New York, where Democrats won a key Republican seat. Democrats said the victory represented a major rebuttal of the House Republican plan, while House Republicans continue to underline their support for Mr. Ryan’s Medicare reforms.
