Ryan: Obama included Medicare cuts first

WARREN, Ohio -- Republican vice presidential contender Paul Ryan says he never would have included a $700 billion Medicare cut in his budget if President Barack Obama hadn't done it first.

"He put those cuts there," Ryan said Thursday, responding to a reporter's question during a stop at a local hot dog restaurant. "We would never have done it in the first place."

Medicare, the health care program for tens of millions of seniors, has become a key issue in the race for the White House.

The Wisconsin congressman is perhaps best known for authoring a controversial budget plan that would transform Medicare into a voucherlike system. He and presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney say the change is needed to preserve the popular program for future generations.

The Republican candidates have launched a new strategy recently to criticize Obama for taking more than $700 billion in Medicare funds to help pay for his health care overhaul.

"The president was talking about Medicare yesterday. I'm excited about this," Ryan said during a morning campaign stop in North Canton. "This is a debate we want to have, this is a debate we need to have and this is a debate we're going to win."

But Ryan did not mention that his own budget proposal included the same cut. When pressed, he said the Medicare cuts were part of the existing baseline budget, including the Obama health care law he opposes.

Romney says Obama has cut $716 billion from the Medicare trust fund to pay for his national health care overhaul. Ryan's budget would make those same cuts, though he would use the savings differently.