Mitt Romney said Monday evening that he and newly selected running mate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) are "on the same page" when it comes to their budget plans.
"I'm sure there are places that my budget is different than his, but we're on the same page," Romney told reporters at a press conference at an airport in Miami.
Romney has said they will run on his own budget plan, not Ryan's, which has been adopted by House Republicans. But Democrats, eager to tie the Ryan plan's controversial elements to Romney, have sought to blur any distinction between the two.
Asked about how his plan differs from that of his running mate, Romney could not name specific differences on Monday.
"Well, the items that we agree on, I think, outweigh any differences there may be. We haven't gone through piece by piece and said, 'Oh, here's a place where there's a difference,' " Romney said. "I can't imagine any two people even in the same party who have exactly the same positions on all issues."
He added, "My plan for Medicare is very similar to his plan for Medicare."
Ryan's proposal to partially privatize Medicare attracts much of the criticism from Democrats, who have previously blasted it as a move to "throw granny off the cliff," claiming it would hit seniors with higher healthcare costs.
“What Paul Ryan and I have talked about is saving Medicare, is providing people greater choice in Medicare, making sure it's there for current seniors,” Romney told "60 Minutes" on Sunday. “No changes, by the way, for current seniors, or those nearing retirement. But looking for young people down the road and saying, ‘We're going to give you a bigger choice.’ ”
The Ryan plan would give those under 65 the option of switching to a subsidized private insurance model and would not make changes for those already in the Medicare program.
