Willie R. Tubbs, FISM News
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia continues to be a key and, so far, unclearable obstacle for President Joe Biden’s spending plans.
Less than a week after the president announced a scaled-back framework for his “Build Back Better” social spending bill – one met with hesitancy from the farthest left elements of the Democratic Party and outright rejected by Republicans – Manchin has again refused to officially endorse what is now a $1.75 trillion package.
Manchin, like his counterparts in the progressive wing, said he initially withheld support as he waited for details to emerge on what the new bill would look like and how they would read.
“Throughout the last three months, I have been straightforward about my concerns that I will not support a reconciliation package that expands social programs and irresponsibly adds to our nearly $29 trillion in national debt that no one else seems to care about,” Manchin said in a statement. “Nor will I support a package that risks hurting American families suffering from historic inflation.
“Simply put, I will not support a bill that is this consequential without thoroughly understanding the impact it will have on our national debt, our economy and the American people. Every elected representative needs to know what they are voting for and the impact it has, not only on their constituents, but the entire country.”
Manchin added, though, that the more he’s learned about this plan, the less he likes it.
“[As] more of the real details outlined in the basic framework are released,” Manchin said, “what I see are shell games and budget gimmicks that make the real cost of this so-called ‘$1.75 trillion dollar’ bill estimated to be twice as high if the programs are extended or made permanent. That is recipe for economic crisis. None of us should ever misrepresent to the American people what the real cost of legislation is.”
Manchin has long supported a bipartisan infrastructure bill, one he helped to author, but has been at best lukewarm when it comes to the social spending measures.
His Democratic colleague, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, has also proven to be a stumbling block for the bill’s passage, as President Biden’s agenda hangs on all 50 Senate Democrats voting yes on a reconciliation bill.
Both senators have routinely faced varying degrees of blowback from their own party, and Monday was no different.
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), a member of “the Squad”, equated Manchin’s opposition to the bill to a form of racism. In an official release Bush said that “Manchin’s opposition to the Build Back Better Act is anti-Black, anti-child, anti-woman, and anti-immigrant.”
Bush also wrote, “Joe Manchin does not get to dictate the future of our country.”
For his part, Manchin blasted members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for making their support of the bipartisan infrastructure bill contingent upon the passage of a bill that, even at its lower price, would result in record spending on social programs.
“It’s time our elected leaders in Washington stop playing games with the needs of the American people and holding a critical infrastructure bill hostage while there is opportunity in the reconciliation bill we can all agree on,” Manchin said.
He later added, “holding this bill hostage won’t work to get my support for reconciliation bill. I’m open to supporting a final bill that helps move our country forward, but I am equally open to voting against a bill that hurts our country and the American people.”
The White House was far rosier in its response, as President Biden has continued to work desperately to find common ground between the moderate and progressive elements of his party.
“Senator Manchin says he is prepared to support a Build Back Better plan that combats inflation, is fiscally responsible, and will create jobs,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement. “The plan the House is finalizing meets those tests—it is fully paid for, will reduce the deficit, and brings down costs for health care, child care, elder care, and housing. Experts agree: Seventeen Nobel Prize-winning economists have said it will reduce inflation. As a result, we remain confident that the plan will gain Senator Manchin’s support.”
Manchin’s refusal to bend has made few friends among progressives, but has caused Democrats to slash their plan, initially valued at $3.5. trillion, on multiple occasions.