Manchin calls for bipartisan deal to fund entitlements in next Congress

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Thursday called for the next Congress to pass a bipartisan deal to secure long-term funding for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid as the three major entitlement programs battle with significant funding issues.

"You're going to get your financial house in order. We cannot live with this crippling debt," Manchin said, according to The Hill. "If we don't look at the trust funds that are going bankrupt, whether they be Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, highway, all the ones — there are tremendous problems right now."

The entitlement programs are three of the federal government's largest expenditures each year. Manchin acknowledged the burden they impose on federal spending, saying "[i]f we can't come to grips of how we face the financial challenge that this country has, then we're all going to be paying a price that we can't afford."

The Social Security Administration announced last year that it does not expect to be able to fund full benefits past the year 2033, the outlet noted. That announcement preceded the SSA's increasing benefits by 8.7% last month to account for rising inflation.

The national debt stands above $31 trillion after years of continuous deficit spending, in part to fund these programs. Republicans are poised to secure the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections. The GOP traditionally advocates for balancing the budget, meaning Manchin may find some support across the aisle for his initiatives.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has previously acknowledged the necessity of adjusting the programs in light of the changing financial situation, though he admitted that neither side was willing to take the political hit for doing so.

"It's a bipartisan problem: unwillingness to address the real drivers of the debt by doing anything to adjust those programs to the demographics of America in the future," he said in 2018, the outlet noted.