Manchin Calls for $4 Trillion in Budget Cuts

Sen. Joe Manchin is pushing for $4 trillion in budget reductions, saying he doesn’t think cutting $1.5 trillion is enough. The West Virginia conservative Democrat has sent the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction ideas for cuts, which his constituents suggested on his website, according to the Wheeling Intelligencer News-Register.

 

The supercommittee is to cut $1.5 trillion from the budget by Thanksgiving, but Manchin said “every economist” believes the figure should be closer to $4 trillion.

 

“If that is all they do [is cut by $1.5 trillion], they are not going to fix our economy,” he said. “Let’s go big. We can keep our core programs. We don’t have to cut Social Security, but we can cut down on wasteful spending and fraud.”

 

Manchin said “quite a few” West Virginians had ideas about cutting spending, including having the government cut down on wasteful spending and close corporate tax loopholes.

 

Manchin said most members of Congress have sent the supercommittee recommendations for cuts.