Manchin, Romney join board of directors for top budget watchdog

Former Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) are joining the board of directors for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a prominent Washington, D.C.-based think tank focused on fiscal policy.

Maya MacGuineas, the president of the organization, said in a statement Wednesday that the additions underscore “the committee’s longstanding commitment to fostering bipartisan solutions to our nation’s fiscal decline and working to put forward solutions for America’s elected leaders.”

“Both former senators have been staunch advocates for responsible budgeting, but more than that, they have not shied away from working across the aisle to find solutions that can bridge the ideological divide and get America pointed in the right direction.”

During their time in Congress, both Romney and Manchin, who left the Democratic Party to become an Independent last year, introduced legislation aimed at establishing a fiscal commission to explore ways to tackle the nation’s debt. They were also known for splitting from their parties on legislation due to fiscal concerns. 

“Importantly, both have worked together on common-sense reforms to address our rising debt, including advocacy for trust fund reform to shore up Social Security and Medicare and introducing legislation and leading the effort to establish a fiscal commission to focus on coming up with workable solutions,” MacGuineas said Wednesday.

Romney and Manchin join a list of other widely known political figures like former Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) and former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), as well as Erskine Bowles, as directors on the board.