How Does the NYT Know What Senator Coburn "Believes" About Measures of Inflation?

That's what millions of NYT readers are asking after they saw the assertion:

"Republicans are concerned about the growth of entitlement programs, including Social Security and Medicare. Some, like Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, support the idea of an alternative measure of inflation, known as the chain-weighted version of the Consumer Price Index, because they believe it is more accurate."

It is certainly possible that Senator Coburn and others supporting a lower cost of living...