Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) Courtesy Creative Commons

For four months, the three Republicans and three Democrats have been meeting to agree on how to reduce the nation’s spending, deficit and overall debt.

The national debt is currently more than $14.3 trillion, and in the coming months, Congress will debate whether to raise the nation’s debt limit.

While President Barack Obama unveiled his plan to reduce the deficit earlier this month, one of the reasons for a bipartisan group to forge a plan is to create broad appeal for divisive issues. Last week, Obama criticized the 2012 Republican budget, saying it would hurt the nation’s most vulnerable citizens.

“The fact that the president built his vision by borrowing in many ways from the recommendations of the bipartisan commission…gives a good sign…of the fact that there is a building consensus around the way to approach this problem,” said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney Monday.
 
But lawmakers' actions continually demonstrate consensus will not be easy to reach. The budget proposals of the group are expected to include changes to polarizing issues such as defense, health care spending, taxes and Social Security.

"Let me assure you, we're going to make everybody mad with our approach—Democrats, Republicans, independents—because we're touching every part of the problem," said Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, one of the six, in a recent CBS interview.

Despite Obama’s optimism, the senators’ colleagues and constituents have shared their criticism. Most Republicans oppose tax increases and cuts to defense, while Democrats oppose cuts to entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare.

But in order for the Gang of Six to make progress in tightening the ever-increasing budget gap, they will need to engage in a game of give-and-take.

“Everybody agrees about how much we have to lower the deficit by over the medium term and that we’ve got to deal with long-term health care costs in order to get this under control,” Obama said Tuesday.

“The big question that is going to have to be resolved is, how do we do it?” Obama said.

The gang includes Democrat Senators Mark Warner, Richard Durbin, Kent Conrad, and Republican Senators Saxby Chambliss, Michael Crapo and Tom Coburn.

Reach Raquel Estupinan here.