Dem Wants Deficit Drop Before Debt Limit Rise

The Hill reports:

Freshman Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) will not vote to raise the debt ceiling this spring unless it's tied to a long-term deficit reduction plan, he'll say Monday in a speech.

Manchin, a first-term centrist Democrat who's expected to face a tough reelection challenge in 2012, will join some conservative Republicans in demanding that fiscal reforms accompany any vote to allow the government to borrow more money.

"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," Manchin will say, according to prepared excerpts released by his office.

"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," the Democrat will explain. "We cannot make budgets based on the next election; they must be based on the next generation."

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