Manchin chides Biden for not negotiating on the debt limit

West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin on Thursday excoriated President Joe Biden for refusing to negotiate with House Republicans on a deal to increase the debt limit as the deadline to avoid a national default approaches.

The moderate lawmaker hailed House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's willingness to put forward a plan after the California Republican unveiled his plan to pair a debt limit increase with spending cuts this week.

"I applaud Speaker McCarthy for putting forward a proposal that would prevent default and rein in federal spending," Manchin said, according to The Hill. "While I do not agree with everything proposed, the fact of the matter is that it is the only bill actually moving through Congress that would prevent default."

He further signaled his support for negotiating on the plan, lamenting that Biden has proven unwilling to bend on the matter, saying "we are long past time for our elected leaders to sit down and discuss how to solve this impending debt ceiling crisis."

"[I]t has been more than 78 days since President Biden last met with Speaker McCarthy. This signals a deficiency of leadership, and it must change," he warned.

In early February, McCarthy sounded an optimistic tone after his first meeting with Biden, calling it a "good meeting" and suggesting the pair could find "common ground."

That sentiment did not last long, however, as Biden has largely stonewalled negotiations. Manchin issued an urgent plea to the president to at least propose an alternative plan as a starting point for reaching a deal.

"For the sake of the country, I urge President Biden to come to the table, propose a plan for real and substantive spending cuts and deficit reduction, and negotiate now," he said.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on Twitter.