Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Monday he won't be pressured into supporting a $1.75 trillion expansion of the nation's social safety net and urged House progressives to pass a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill in the interim.
Why it matters: Manchin's declarations — and the unusually strong language he used in making them — show Democrats are no closer to passing the two bills House leaders had hoped to move this week, and that President Biden has said will define his presidency.
President Biden addresses reporters in Rome on Sunday evening. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden and congressional leaders are forging ahead with plans to have the House vote on his two massive spending plans, even while backing off their Tuesday deadline amid persistent concerns from key lawmakers.
Why it matters: For all their bluster, Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have failed twice to hold promised votes on the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which would pave the way for a $1.75 trillion social safety net expansion package. Missing a third vote is a major risk for them both.
Why it matters: Manchin's declarations — and the unusually strong language he used in making them — show Democrats are no closer to passing the two bills House leaders had hoped to move this week, and that President Biden has said will define his presidency.
- "Holding this [infrastructure] bill hostage is not going to work in getting my support for the reconciliation bill."
- "As more of the real details of the basic framework [for the reconciliation bill] are released, what I see are shell games — budget gimmicks that make the real cost of the so-called $1.75 trillion bill estimated to be almost twice that amount ... if you extended it permanently."
- "While I've worked hard to find a path to compromise, it's obvious compromise is not good enough for a lot of my colleagues in Congress: it's all-or-nothing, and their position doesn't seem to change unless we agree to everything."
President Biden addresses reporters in Rome on Sunday evening. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden and congressional leaders are forging ahead with plans to have the House vote on his two massive spending plans, even while backing off their Tuesday deadline amid persistent concerns from key lawmakers.
Why it matters: For all their bluster, Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have failed twice to hold promised votes on the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which would pave the way for a $1.75 trillion social safety net expansion package. Missing a third vote is a major risk for them both.
