What’s Happening:
Joe Biden’s “build back better” agenda revolved around massive government spending. His biggest goal, a $3.5 trillion spending package, arguably wouldn’t “build” us back, but get many Americans onto welfare. Not to mention raise taxes and add to the deficit.
Biden needed every Senate Democrat’s support for this bill. He even lowered it to $1.75 trillion, outraging progressives in the House. But even after pretending to compromise with moderates, Joe is not winning. Because Democrat Sen. Manchin just delivered a death blow.
From Reuters:
President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda suffered a major setback on Monday when Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said he would not commit to supporting a $1.75 trillion framework on social spending and climate change unveiled last week…
“Enough is enough. It’s time our elected leaders in Washington, all of us, stopped playing games with the needs of the American people in holding a critical infrastructure bill hostage.”
Joe Manchin revealed on Monday that he was far from agreeing on Biden’s $1.75 trillion socialist spending bill. He blasted Democrats for pushing a “shell game” full of “budget gimmicks” that he said would cost double the announced price tag.
He criticized his fellow Democrats for wanting to spend billions on new entitlement programs, while existing programs like Social Security and Medicare are in jeopardy in the long run.
He also repeated his previous concerns about how irresponsible it was for the government to push new spending while the economy was suffering.
The moderate went on to call out progressives in the House for playing games with the infrastructure bill. House Democrats, led by Pelosi and AOC, have refused to pass this bill. They were effectively holding it ransom until the Senate passed Biden’s larger spending bill.
But Manchin made it clear he was not going to be bullied by a bunch of left-wing socialists. He called on the House to pass what he called a “critical infrastructure bill.” It seems pretty clear that he will not vote on Biden’s spending package, regardless of what the House does.
What this could mean for Biden is nothing good. It is unlikely that House progressives will listen to Manchin, even as Sen. Sanders is telling them the opposite. Chances are, Biden will fail to pass either bill, the bipartisan infrastructure measure and his socialist spending package.
That could have a tremendous impact on future elections. Both Virginia’s governor race, happening right now, and the 2022 midterms.
Key Takeaways:
- Joe Manchin announced he will not support Biden’s $1.75 trillion spending bill.
- He accused Democrats of pushing new social programs while ignoring Social Security and Medicare.
- Manchin also rebuked House progressives for holding the infrastructure bill “hostage.”
Source: Reuters
