Sen. Joe Manchin III said Thursday that he wants to work with Republicans in the next Congress to prevent entitlement programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid from going bankrupt while also addressing the country’s “crippling debt.”
The moderate West Virginia Democrat’s remarks came amid vows by Republicans — if they win the House majority — to demand changes to such programs in exchange for lifting the nation’s debt ceiling next year.
“We cannot live with this crippling debt,” Mr. Manchin said during a virtual appearance at the Fortune CEO Initiative. “If we don’t look at the trust funds that are going bankrupt, whether it be Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Highway, all the ones [facing] tremendous problems right now, if we can’t come to grips with how we face the financial challenges this country has, then we’re all going to be paying a price we can’t afford.