Sen. Joe Manchin said Wednesday he won’t back down on a $1.5 trillion reconciliation bill after suggesting Tuesday that he might be willing to support a slightly higher price tag if a compromise was reached with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
“Let me make it very clear: There’s been a lot of speculation about what number on reconciliation,” Manchin told reporters. “My number’s been 1.5. I’ve been very clear.”
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Manchin signaled on Tuesday that he might consider a compromise proposal for the legislation between $1.9 trillion and $2.2 trillion, a range proposed by President Joe Biden in a closed-door meeting with House Democrats last week. House progressives sunk the bill’s chance of passing last week when they refused to back down from $3.5 trillion.
On Wednesday, Manchin listed elements of the social spending bill he supports, but he added that “compassion” should be prioritized over “entitlement” when it comes to government spending, emphasizing “taking care of those who can’t care for themselves.”
“I feel very strongly about that. This is gonna take time to get this done,” he said.
Manchin also addressed the imminent debt ceiling deadline, saying the United States will not default on its debt.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated that Republicans will vote against raising the debt ceiling as long as Democrats pursue a $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. Without Republican support, Democrats would need to circumvent the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold through the reconciliation process.
Manchin said he opposes bypassing the filibuster to raise the debt ceiling.
“I implore them to engage, start working, work this out,” Manchin said of McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “This should not be a crisis.”
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Manchin reiterated his support for the filibuster, blasting the “artificial crisis” of the debt ceiling and “theatrics” of the partisan standoff.
“The bottom line is we have a responsibility to be the adults,” he said.
