Sen Manchin Calls For Bipartisan Discussions On "Out Of Control Spending"

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) has said, in a speech on the Senate floor, that Democrats need to be more flexible in debt ceiling negotiations with Republicans.

• Manchin said: "My Democratic friends don't want to say a word about our out of control spending and are outright refusing to even talk to Republicans about reasonable and responsible reforms," but said some Republicans "have recklessly threatened default, which is absolutely not on the table..."
• Manchin called for both parties to be willing to compromise: "It's unacceptable that we run the single largest economic entity in the universe without a budget in place … We need to put all of our ideas on the table."
• Manchin's comments run counter to messaging from President Biden, who continues to maintain that the debt ceiling crisis is manufactured by "MAGA" House Republicans. Biden told House Democrats yesterday: "So let's be real clear about one thing: There is no actual crisis here. This is entirely a crisis of their making, if it occurs.”
• There is little prospect of negotiations before the GOP release their FY23 budget, expected to come around the time Biden releases his budget on March 9.