Manchin: White House not negotiating on debt ceiling is a mistake

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) blasted the White House’s position to not negotiate with Republicans over the debt ceiling, saying on Sunday it is “a mistake” to not have talks over the borrowing limit.

“I think it is a mistake,” Manchin said to CNN’s “State of the Union” host Dana Bash when asked if the White House’s decision to not negotiate with the GOP was correct. “We have to negotiate. This is a democracy. We have a two-party system.”

Manchin has been one of the few Democratic voices calling for his party to negotiate with Republicans, as lawmakers face a looming deadline to find a solution for the debt ceiling. The U.S. reached its technical borrowing limit of around $31.4 trillion last week, but the Treasury Department said it will take measures to ensure the government can pay its bills until around June.

Republicans have said they want guarantees of spending cuts from the White House and Democrats if they are to agree to any extension of the debt ceiling. White House officials have said they will not negotiate on that point and Democrats have urged for a swift raising of the debt limit.

But Manchin has consistently called for cooperation between Republicans and Democrats on this issue, arguing against what he calls wasteful government spending.

“We should be able to talk and find out where our differences are,” Manchin said on Sunday.

He also said that cuts to Social Security and Medicare should be taken off the table, but said the government should look at other options to slash spending.

“Look at ways that we have wasteful spending (and) that we can be held accountable and responsible,” Manchin said. “Every American has to live within a budget… shouldn’t the federal government have some guardrails?”