Manchin says Democrats miscalculated on waiting to negotiate debt deal 

Sen. Joe Manchin (D., Virginia) blamed Democrats for waiting to start negotiations on debt and spending, saying Republicans “held hostage” for refusing to raise the debt ceiling without significant spending cuts. ‘ he pushed back.

“I think it’s harmful,” Manchin told CBS’s Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation” when asked how much it had been a miscalculation for Democrats to wait for negotiations.

“This shows that the Far Left was pushing very hard not to let us negotiate or even talk about it. That’s not who we are in America,” Manchin added.

Asked about allegations that he was acting like a “hostage-taker” by refusing to raise the debt ceiling without delivering the spending cuts Republicans wanted, Manchin said: “Basically what I’m saying. “If hostages should not be taken, how can they be taken?” Are we aware that we have unmanageable debt? Shouldn’t we figure out how it got here so fast and so high? “

Voting to raise the debt ceiling has long been bipartisan, rarely in exchange for policy concessions. From the beginning, President Biden has insisted there would be no talks about raising the debt ceiling. Failure to do so would have disastrous economic consequences, and Biden has often pointed out that raising the debt ceiling would allow the United States to pay its current bills. , does not determine future spending policies.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Republican, Calif.) and his supporters argued that they had to deal with a large amount of debt and that this was the perfect time to look for ways to curb spending.

Biden and McCarthy finally reached an agreement last week to suspend the debt ceiling for two years and cap additional spending, but Biden still maintains that he negotiated the budget, not the debt ceiling. ing.

Manchin said Rep. Garrett Graves (R., Louisiana) and his team did a “great job” in negotiating on behalf of McCarthy, praising those involved in both talks and OMB Secretary Shalanda Young. So did Mr. and White House senior adviser Steve Ricketty, he said. on behalf of Biden.

“They were good people who worked together to make this happen. It’s a shame we didn’t acknowledge it sooner,” he said.