Sen. Joe Manchin Holds Back Support for Social-Spending Bill

[Polybius]

Source: The Wall Street Journal

West Virginia Democrat says at WSJ’s CEO Council Summit that he is wary of the government putting more money into the economy

WASHINGTON— Sen. Joe Manchin declined to commit to voting for Democrats’ roughly $2 trillion social-policy and climate package, citing concerns about inflation and the length of programs, weeks before the Christmas deadline party leaders are racing to meet.

Mr. Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, made the remarks during The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council Summit at a pivotal moment for Democrats in Washington—and one where he has been a key figure. Because Senate Democrats are using a special budget maneuver to pass their education, healthcare and climate package without any GOP support, they can’t lose a single senator from their own party.

Mr. Manchin has supported the other two pillars of President Biden’s agenda this year. But the senator, who represents a state former President Donald Trump won by 40 points in 2020, continues to express concern about the bill’s impact on inflation and the deficit.

“The unknown we’re facing today is much greater than the need that people believe in this aspirational bill that we’re looking at,” Mr. Manchin said Tuesday. “We’ve gotta make sure we get this right. We just can’t continue to flood the market, as we’ve done.”

Read more: https://www.wsj.com/articles/manchin-holds-back-support-for-social-spending-bill-11638919554

[CentralMass]

1. Gee, what a suprize.

[ColinC]

2. Vote on it and let it be known Joe Manchin is a horrible democrat who doesn't actually support

Democratic principles.

[Calista241]

3. There's no coming back from a failed vote. I'd rather trust the process and the pressure on Manchin

from his Senate colleagues.

[ColinC]

5. The other option is win a true majority and then see how often he

Often actually votes with Democrats. He only votes with Dems a hundred percent of the time right now because his vote is required to pass anything so nothing will reach the floor without his support...

[yaesu]

4. I am shocked! Shocked I tell you!

[url=https://ibb.co/4VtTgNk][img][/img][/url]

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

6. Joe is drawing a lot more than his usual "red line."

He's paving a friggin' eight-lane red freeway that pretty much obviates the goals of the BBB Act.

And like a good Republican, uh, "moderate Democrat," he suddenly discovers the national debt whenever social programs are proposed that will actually benefit someone other than the very rich and large corporations. Even when it's pointed out that the program is structured to pay for itself, and nearly every part of it will directly benefit his constituents, Manchin tries to portray himself as the financial savior of the country. Too bad he's not so committed to voting rights. He'd rather be known as the man who destroyed democracy than bend on his defense of the filibuster, a Senate rule developed to allow Southern senators to have outsized negative effect on pending civil rights and voting rights legislation.

The sad thing is that if the GQP gains control of the Senate, the first thing they'll do is gut the filibuster and quickly pass all their evil plans by majority vote. This would probably include making the anti-voting legislation they're enacting in the Red states a national law, so they will never lose another election.

[CentralMass]

7. I think you are right.

[Joinfortmill]

8. I understand the rules, but really? Really, Senator Manchin?

https://wvpolicy.org/data-released-today-shows-west-virginia-had-6th-highest-poverty-rate-in-the-country-even-before-covid-hardship-more-relief-needed/

The poverty and income data from the Census Bureau do not reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. More current data from this summer show a sharp rise in hardship across West Virginia:

11.8 percent of adults reported that their household sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat in the last seven days.
17.0 percent of adults with children reported that their kids sometimes or often didn’t eat enough in the last seven days because they couldn’t afford to.
19.0 percent of adults who live in rental housing reported that they were behind on rent, and 6.0 percent are behind on their mortgage payments.
And 29.0 percent of all children in West Virginia live in a family that is either not getting enough to eat or is behind on housing payments.
This severe hardship is being felt even more acutely by West Virginians of color and people with very low incomes, who were already struggling to make ends meet before the pandemic as a result of longstanding inequities.

[yaesu]

9. Should rename it to something more snappy like The Economic freedom Act

as pointed out on THP anything with freedom in the title will get the attention of the brainless minions who watch fox so called news.

[Lunabell]

10. Manchin just wants to win elections.

He doesn't want to spend energy on spreading Biden's message even if it's the best for the country and for W. Virginia. Either he's lazy or he doesn't believe in the Democrats.

[Bettie]

11. This is not even a little surprising

Manchin wanted the infrastructure bill.

He got that.

Now, he will never vote for the BBB.

I hope to be wrong, but I don't expect to be, that's who Manchin is a guy who will keep having tantrums until he gets his way and he always gets his way.

[turbinetree]

12. %$#@(*&_!?