Durbin slams Paul Ryan budget plan

(CBS News) -- The number two Democrat in the Senate said Wednesday that Rep. Paul Ryan's budget proposal is "not a balanced approach" and would unfairly hurt senior citizens with it dramatic changes to Medicare.

"His budget refuses to imposes any new taxes on the wealthiest people in America. In fact, it cuts their taxes even more," Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin said in an interview with "CBS This Morning."

"And to achieve it, it makes dramatic cuts in Medicare, in Medicaid and in programs that people count on for the basic safety net in America. It is not a balanced approach. Unfortunately it reflects where his party is today," Durbin said.

Ryan on Tuesday unveiled his his 2013 budget proposal, which includes an overhaul of the tax code that would leave just two individual tax brackets: 10 percent and 25 percent as well as revision of a proposal from a year ago to dramatically overhaul Medicare.

Ryan's plan is unlikely to become law, but is intended to provide a simple message for Republicans in an election year.

"Paul Ryan wants to privatize Medicare. At the end of the day, those seniors who are not healthy and can't buy health insurance today will find it almost impossible to do so under Paul Ryan's plan," Durbin said.