Carl Levin: 'I Really Believe Deeply That We Can Come Together'

U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan) brought good news and bad news to about 200 residents gathered at Fox Run senior living community in Novi on Wednesday. 

"The good news is that after about three years, the United States Senate has adopted a budget," he said. "The bad news is that the House of Representatives has also adopted a budget."

Levin, barely a month removed from announcing he won't seek re-election in 2014, said both sides will have to come to an agreement on the final budget, which reaches out as far as 10 years. The key issue is the deficit. While the Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate agree on the need for reducing it, he said, they differ widely in how to accomplish that goal. 

"The Republican approach is you simply cut spending on every domestic program," he said, adding the only exception is Social Security. "They become very, very major reductions, year after year after year." 

Levin, who will be in Birmingham Friday morning at the Community House, said the Senate approach, which he described as "less drastic," focuses on plugging loopholes that exist in the tax code. He sits on a committee that has focused on off-shore tax havens and eliminating rules that allow corporations to stash money there. 

"I'm not talking about raising taxes," he said. "I'm talking about collecting taxes that should have been paid." 

Negotiating and governing

Levin said one of the problems with bridging the gap between the two chambers in budget negotiations is that some members of Congress have openly stated they have no intention of negotiating. 

"We have a group that says, 'I didn't come to Washington to compromise,'" he said. "That means you didn't come to Washington to govern. That's really the only way you can govern." 

Still, Levin said, he remains optimistic. "I really believe deeply that we can come together, that we must find a way to compromise our differences and keep our recovery going," he said. 

Here are excerpts from Levin's conversation with seniors, hosted by Fox Run's Political Awareness Committee:

• On Social Security: "We'll fight against the privatization of Social Security. ... It will turn something people have earned and are entitled to into a crapshoot." 
• On Medicare: "We have to find a way to put Medicare on solid standing. We have to try to rein in costs," but without reducing its value. 
• On gun control: Levin cited four ideas "floating out there": Background checks, which he said probably will move forward; banning large-sized clips of ammunition; banning assault weapons; and providing security in schools, either with armed guards or armed teachers. Levin said he didn't think there would be enough votes to move the large clip or assault weapon bans forward.
• On the National Rifle Association: Levin said the group "opposes every single measure" that has anything to do with reining in gun use. "They opposed banning machine guns ... They opposed the ban on Teflon (armor piercing) bullets ... They have taken, from my perspective, extreme positions." 
• On the Detroit Tigers: "I won't ask if there's anybody here who's not a Tiger fan, because I'd rather not know about it if you're not."

This story was updated to reflect that the Fox Run's Political Awareness Committee hosted the event.