Manchin: I Will Vote Against Raising the Debt Ceiling Without A Real Budget Plan
In speech at University of Charleston, Manchin launches “Our Values, Our Priorities” Week and outlines the principles that will guide him through upcoming budget talks
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Manchin will reach out to West Virginians on a different issue every day this week.
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) today launched a weeklong tour of West Virginia that will focus on “Our Values, Our Priorities.” In a speech at the University of Charleston, he emphasized the need for Washington to face our fiscal reality head-on, to determine this nation’s priorities, and to make the difficult decisions that will solve America’s financial challenges.
“There are some in Washington who believe we can simply ignore the fiscal peril we face as a nation. They are wrong,” Manchin said in remarks prepared for delivery. “I will not tell you that we can have everything we want and that there will be no cuts or sacrifice. That would be a lie. I will not stand here and tell you that figuring out our priorities is easy. It is not.
“We must get our fiscal house in order. We must be honest about what we value and what we need to spend your tax dollars on, not just what sounds good. We must be willing to make the difficult decisions.”
Senator Manchin announced today that he will vote against raising the debt ceiling unless the vote is linked to a real budget plan that begins to fix this nation’s financial mess.
“We cannot make budgets based on the next election, they must be for the next generation. That is why I will challenge Republicans and Democrats to stand up and confront the fiscal problems we face,” Manchin said.
Senator Manchin also outlined the priorities and values that will guide him through the upcoming budget talks in Washington: creating jobs, strengthening our families, protecting our seniors, growing small businesses, and achieving energy independence. This week, Manchin will travel to 10 counties across West Virginia to talk about these priorities, highlighting a different value each day.
Excerpts of today’s remarks as prepared for delivery:
“If you want to be strong and help other people, you have to be strong yourself.”
...
“There are some in Washington who believe we can simply ignore the fiscal peril we face as a nation. They are wrong."
...
“I will not tell you that we can have everything we want and there will be no cuts or sacrifice. That would be a lie. I will not stand here and tell you that figuring out what priorities are is easy. It is not.”
...
“We must get our fiscal house in order. We must be honest about what we value and what we need to spend your taxpayer dollars on – not what just sounds good.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
Highlights and themes for the week include:
- Monday: Creating Jobs: Speech at University of Charleston at 10 a.m. in Charleston
- Tuesday: Taking Care of our Children and Families: Tour of Head Start Facility, 9:45 a.m. in Dunbar
- Wednesday: Keeping our Promises to Seniors: Major Legislative Announcement and Roundtable on Seniors Issues, 10:15 a.m. in Charleston
- Thursday: Supporting Small Businesses: Visits to Main Street in Sutton and Gassaway, “Coffee and Common Sense” Event in Gassaway
- Friday: Achieving Energy Independence: Visit to the U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown and a Town Hall meeting in Fairmont
CAPTION: Senator Manchin delivers remarks at the University of Charleston.
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