Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Monday pushed back on several politically sensitive positions his party leaders are taking at a crucial time for President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda.
The West Virginia Democrat, who holds a pivotal vote in the 50-50 Senate, indicated to CNN that he disagrees with the strategy top Democrats are pursuing in the standoff with Republicans over raising the national debt limit. Manchin said that Democrats « shouldn’t rule out anything, » including a budget process that Democratic leaders have made clear they will not employ. Speaking to reporters, Manchin also would not commit to the new timeline set by party leaders to find a deal on the social safety net expansion by October 31. And he resisted calls from progressives and other top Democrats to raise his $1.5 trillion price tag for the package, which many in his party view as too low to achieve key policy objectives. In a stark warning sign to progressives, Manchin indicated the package must include a prohibition against using federal funds for most abortions. « The Hyde Amendment is a red line, » he said. Manchin’s stance puts him at odds with progressives, with Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal saying Sunday she would not support a package that included the Hyde Amendment. Debt ceiling Republicans have demanded that Democrats use the budget reconciliation process to raise the debt limit, but Democratic leaders described it as a nonstarter. The process opens the Senate up to unwieldy and time-consuming marathon vote series known vote-a-ramas. « We just can’t let the debt ceiling lapse. We just can’t, » Manchin said, adding that Democrats should not be concerned about politically sensitive votes.
