{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.manchin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=13860bcf-2184-4203-9cc7-e1754507382a", "Sens. Collins, Manchin revive centrist talks| The Hill", "2013-11-07", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "WV", "Joe Manchin", "M001183", "www.manchin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "November 07, 2013\n\t\t\t Sens. Collins, Manchin revive centrist talks| The Hill \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tSens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are bringing their \"common-sense coalition\" back together in hopes of laying the groundwork for fiscal reforms and other bipartisan legislation.   \u00a0  Collins, Manchin and their allies hope to form a bipartisan coalition that could help break ideological gridlock on issues such as the automatic spending cuts known as sequestration.  \u00a0  The group has added Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.) \u2014 expanding to 16 members. Members of the group met Wednesday morning.\r\n\u201cSeveral of the members suggested that we get together and review what our future role should be,\u201d said Collins. \u201cThere\u2019s great interest in staying together and continuing to tackle issues particularly when the regular order breaks down around here.  \u00a0  \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to meet and that\u2019s very positive,\u201d she said.   \u00a0  Lawmakers are letting a bicameral budget conference headed by Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) take the lead in negotiating a budget agreement for 2014.   \u00a0  If that effort falls short because of an impasse over tax increases, centrist senators are prepared to step into the debate.   \u00a0  \u201cWe\u2019re going to continue to try to help find common-sense solutions to some of these issues,\u201d said Sen. Angus King (Maine), the independent member of the group.   \u00a0  \u201cWe\u2019re discussing what the purpose is but certainly we just want to contribute to solving some of these problems,\u201d he said. \u201cWe feel like we did contribute before on the shutdown.  \u00a0  \u201cWe feel like our work was constructive and we want to see if we can continue to play that role,\u201d he added.   \u00a0  Collins and Manchin convened a bipartisan group of 14 senators during last month\u2019s government shutdown to help negotiate a deal to reopen federal agencies and raise the debt limit.   \u00a0  Their work set the stage for later talks between Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Republican leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) that resulted in an agreement staving off a national default.   \u00a0  Fourteen senators formed the coalition during the government shutdown when Reid, McConnell and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) were hardly talking to each other.   \u00a0  The Democratic members include Sens. Mark Pryor (Ark.), Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Joe Donnelly (Ind.) and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), in addition to Manchin and Warner.  \u00a0  The Republican members also include Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), John McCain (Ariz.), Jeff Flake (Ariz.), Mike Johanns (Neb.) and Mark Kirk (Ill.).   \u00a0  Not all members attended the Wednesday morning meeting.   \u00a0  \u201cI was unfortunately unable to meet but I\u2019m certainly interested in meeting with them,\u201d said Ayotte.   \u00a0  The group could invite other lawmakers, including Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), to sit in on their sessions.  \u00a0  \u201cI go to all meetings. The more you expose yourself, the more you learn,\u201d he said.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t\t    By:\u00a0\n\t\t\t\t    Alexandra Bolton\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n    \n\t\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.manchin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=13860bcf-2184-4203-9cc7-e1754507382a"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 3.1494791619479656, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}