WASHINGTON: Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin said Thursday that Congress should take a strategic pause on overspending, warning that he supports President Joe Biden’s plans for a broader $3.5 trillion effort to rebuild and rebalance the economy. does not do.
The West Virginia Democrat’s opposition was stronger than his previous statements and tapped into a grab bag of arguments over inflation, national security and other concerns to deny Biden and his party a crucial vote on the emerging package. The timing of his comments comes as lawmakers are working behind the scenes to draft legislation ahead of this month’s deadline.
Instead of spending trillions on new government programs and additional stimulus funding, Congress should put a strategic pause on budget-reconciliation legislation, Manchin wrote in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal.
“I, for one, would not support a $3.5 trillion bill, or anywhere near that level of additional spending, without more clarity about the serious impact Congress would have on inflation and ignoring debt on existing government programs. Why choose the option?
Democrats have no votes to vote for as they labor to pass Biden’s big build back better agenda in a narrowly divided Congress, where Vice President Kamala Harris’s tie-breaking vote has led to a 50- 50 is a majority in the Senate.
Manchin has long been a holdout against the topline amount, $3.5 trillion, even though it voted last month to approve a budget proposal that set the figure. The package proposes to rebuild home infrastructure, tackle climate change and expand or introduce a range of services ranging from free pre-kindergarten classes for children to dental, vision and hearing aid care for senior citizens. All of this would be paid for with taxes on corporations and the wealthy.
The Congress is on leave, but Manchin’s remarks are sure to be seen as an attempt to take advantage as legislators work privately to draft the package. The House and Senate are negotiating details ahead of consideration and potential votes, when they are expected to return later this month.
With centrist Sen. Kirsten Cinema, D-Ariz, who has also opposed a package of that size, the two have been able to sway their support.
But dropping the price tag will anger members of the liberal bloc in Congress, who have pressed for an even more robust package and are tired of catering to centrists.
House centrists drew the ire of their aides last week when they passed a blueprint for the package as they pushed for concessions.
However, Manchin almost likes the attention he gives.
While some have suggested that this conciliation law should be passed now, I believe that making budgetary decisions under artificial political deadlines never results in good policy or good decisions, he wrote.
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