Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) signaled on Oct. 6 that he won’t support carving out an exception to the filibuster for the federal debt limit, meaning Democrats don’t have enough votes to employ the so-called nuclear option. “I’ve been very, very clear where I stand on the filibuster. I don’t have to repeat that. I think I’ve been very clear. Nothing’s changed,” Manchin told reporters in Washington. Some Democrats want to nuke the filibuster to boost the debt ceiling because they’re refusing to use reconciliation to address it, and Republicans oppose their current plans on the limit. President Joe Biden said late Oct. 5 that there’s a “real possibility” Democrats in the Senate invoke the option, which would lower the voting threshold to a simple majority from 60. But Democrats only hold 50 seats in the upper chamber. That means they can’t afford a single “no” vote from a Democrat. With …
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