Dem senator breaks with his party and Obama, againBy: CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser
(CNN) - Saying that "we must get our fiscal house in order," Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia says he'll vote against raising the nation's debt ceiling unless it's married to a plan that addresses the nation's broader fiscal problems.
The announcement Monday by Manchin is the latest example of the governor-turned-senator who's up for re-election next year being at odds with his party and President Obama on fiscal matters.
"We must be honest about what we value and what we need to spend your taxpayer dollars on – not what just sounds good," Manchin will say in an address to students at the University of Charleston.
"I have never put together a budget – be it my family's or as governor – that was based on how much we wanted to spend, but on what we had," Manchin will add, according to excerpts provided to CNN. "That is why I will vote against raising the debt ceiling unless the vote is linked to a real budget plan that begins to fix our fiscal mess. We cannot make budgets based on the next election; they must be based on the next generation."
A Manchin aide tells CNN that the speech will kick off what is being called a "Our Values, Our Priorities" weeklong tour.
Manchin was the first Democratic senator to announce he would vote against both of the continuing resolutions that were passed by Congress over the past five weeks to continue funding the federal government and temporarily avoiding a government shutdown.
Earlier this month he also voted against his party's bill to fund the government through the end of the fiscal year, and on the Senate floor criticized Obama, saying "our president...has failed to lead this debate.
Manchin, the former popular two-term governor of West Virginia, won a special election last November to fill out the last two years of the term of the late Sen. Robert Byrd. Manchin could face a challenging re-election bid in 2012, when he will seek a full six year term.
Meanwhile, the Treasury Department now estimates that the debt ceiling could be hit between April 15 and May 31. If it's not raised, Treasury will not be allowed to borrow and therefore will not be able to pay the country's bills in full without taking drastic measures to cut spending or raise taxes.
In the past, Congress has always ended up raising the cap, if sometimes at the last minute. And some policy experts think they will do so again, but there's no guarantee precedent will hold.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner last week said in a congressional hearing that there would be "catastrophic" consequences if lawmakers votes against raising the debt ceiling and the government defaulted on its loans.
"In the coming weeks, we will face many difficult budget decisions. I know it will not be easy. I know that it will take compromise. I know it will be partisan and difficult. I know that everyone will have to give up something and no one will want to relinquish anything. But we cannot ignore the fiscal Titanic of our national debt and deficit," Manchin will say.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/21/democratic-senator-breaks-with-his-party-and-white-house-again/
