There are only three ways to close the budget gap. Either:
1) Increase the income of the Federal government.
2) Decrease the expenditure of the Federal government.
3) Both.
If spending can only be constrained so far, and the general feeling is that is so, then the rest of the gap is going to have to be filled by increasing income, ie increase taxes.
Nothing like stating the obvious. The burden will fall on our children and grandchildren to pay the bill. Increasing the tax burden will deaden the economy decreasing revenue and losing jobs. You can only tax so much and then the whole house of cards comes tumbling down.