With the congressional supercommittee unlikely to find a deal before its deadline, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) is urging lawmakers to bring the recommendations from President Obama's fiscal commission, co-chaired by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, to a vote in the Senate.
Bowles-Simpson “has a great template, it's something we should be taking up and voting upon," said Manchin on Monday. "And I would urge, and I did send a letter to all the leaders urging them to take that Bowles-Simpson report, put that into bill fashion, and let's vote on it.”
The Bowles-Simpson deficit-reduction plan proposes cutting $4 trillion over 10 years.
Lawmakers are bracing for news Monday that the supercommittee will be unable to meet its mandate of finding $1.2 trillion over 10 years in federal deficit cuts. Manchin has been critical of the committee's progress, warning them that "failure cannot be accepted" and criticizing Obama for not taking a more active role in negotiations. On Sunday, Manchin said the president needed to "step forward" and push panel members to reach a deal.
