Joe Manchin says he will oppose a $3.5 trillion budget bill

[Polybius]

WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin came out against a $3.5 trillion budget bill on Thursday, throwing cold water on one of President Joe Biden's top legislative ambitions.

Writing in the Wall Street Journal opinion section, the West Virginia Democrat called on his party to hit "a strategic pause" on the legislation, rejecting the idea of "artificial political deadlines" to advance it.

"I, for one, won’t support a $3.5 trillion bill, or anywhere near that level of additional spending, without greater clarity about why Congress chooses to ignore the serious effects inflation and debt have on existing government programs," Manchin wrote.

Manchin's piece is a warning to Democrats, who have no path to passing a multitrillion-dollar budget bill without his vote in a Senate that is split 50-50. While the centrist Democrat didn't rule out voting for a bill, his opposition to the $3.5 trillion price tag may force Biden and the party to scale back its ambitions to ink the largest expansion of the U.S. safety net in generations.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/joe-manchin-says-he-will-oppose-3-5-trillion-budget-n1278407

Too late to post in LBN (22 hours old), so I posted it here.

[aocommunalpunch]

1. There's no public consequence, so why the fuck wouldn't he flex?

Dude looks in the mirror and likes what he sees coming back at him. I’d feel shame, but he and his will be just fine.

[DURHAM D]

2. Pretty sure all of his grandkids hate him. nt

[Corgigal]

3. Exxon Mobile

in da house.

[SoonerPride]

4. Color me shocked

Sigh

[Fiendish Thingy]

5. Your headline is misleading - Manchin doesn't oppose the reconciliation bill, only the price tag

Manchin has been out of the spotlight during the recess, missed the attention, so penned this op-Ed for one of Murdoch’s papers.

He’s got big donors to placate, but the rubber will meet the road soon when Schumer opens the bill for debate, and Manchin will have to put up or shut up about what his specific objections are, same for Sinema.

The time for all this political theatre on infrastructure (which is what this op-Ed is) is drawing to a close- Schumer and Pelosi aim to Get.Shit.Done.

[Polybius]

6. NBC's headline, not mine

I'm just the messenger.

[LiberalFighter]

7. He thinks he understands budgets. He doesn't. Never will.

He fails to consider the time period it covers and more importantly the population of the USA which would allow for a budget in that amount. Also, that the money would benefit the USA in many ways by improving the infrastructure and put money into the economy.