Sen. Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) on Friday said it was wrong for Democrats to refuse to negotiate with Republicans over raising the debt ceiling.
The White House has said Congress must agree to increase the debt limit with no strings attached, even as House Republicans have called for cuts to programs like Medicare and Social Security.
“I think it’s wrong because we have to negotiate,” Manchin told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “This is the democracy we have. We have a two-party system, if you will, and we have to be able to talk and find out where the differences are. And if they can’t be reconciled, then you have to move from there and let people make decisions.
The US hit the $34.1 trillion debt ceiling Thursday. The Treasury Department said the “extraordinary measures” could ensure the country meets its financial commitments until June, when the US will default on its debt unless the limit is increased.
Manchin said that using the debt ceiling hostage “hasn’t worked yet,” but did not immediately answer when asked which party was doing it now.
Manchin, a conservative Democratic outlier, has said he opposes cuts to program benefits.
“Get rid of that place now and find ways to reduce spending so we can be responsible and accountable,” he said.
In 2011, House Republicans voted against raising the debt limit, forcing then-President Barack Obama and Democrats to impose spending cuts. That year was the time the US debt was downgraded by financial rating company Standard & Poor’s.
But not all Democrats appear open to talks with the GOP.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said the political reality is different now than it was in 2011 when Biden, as vice president, played the role of chief negotiator between the two parties. Durbin stressed that there is no room for productive discussions with House Republicans MAGA, adding that the debt has increased dramatically under former President Donald Trump because of the tax cuts his administration has made for wealthy Americans and corporations.
“Once it’s done, they have to face the responsibility of paying,” Durbin told CNN’s Dana Bash. “It’s about the debt limit.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday that Biden looked forward to meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, but reiterated that “raising the debt ceiling is not a negotiation.”
“We will have a clear debate about two different visions for the country – the one that cuts Social Security, and the one that protects it – and the President is happy to discuss it with the Speaker,” Jean-Pierre said in a statement.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told The Associated Press that the GOP asking the exchange to vote to increase it is “an irresponsible thing” and dangerous for the US economy.
“Congress needs to understand that this is about paying bills that have been passed by decisions with this Congress and in the past and not about new spending,” Yellen said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said last week he hoped the debt ceiling would be resolved “in the first half of 2023.”
“At the end of the day, I think the important thing to remember is that America shouldn’t be paying off its debt,” he said. “Never have and never will.”