SOME ’SPLAINING TO DO

Manchin Won’t Back $1.75T Social Spending Bill Without ‘Greater Clarity’

The House won’t be able to pass the legislation without the support of the senator.

The White House insisted on Monday that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) would eventually warm up to President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill, according to Reuters. A statement from White House press secretary Jen Psaki was issued after Manchin, speaking to reporters on Monday, demanded “greater clarity” on the social spending and climate package’s economic impact. “Simply put, I will not support a bill that is this consequential without thoroughly understanding the impact that it will have on our national debt, our economy and most importantly all of our American people,” Manchin said. The House, which had planned to vote on the package this week, will not be able to pass the legislation without his support.

Manchin urged the House to pass a separate bipartisan infrastructure bill, currently in limbo, in the meantime. He warned that “holding this bill hostage” would not compel his support for the larger social spending plan. In her statement, Psaki noted that Manchin “says he is prepared to support a Build Back Better plan that combats inflation, is fiscally responsible, and will create jobs. The plan the House is finalizing meets those tests” and “as a result, we remain confident that the plan will gain Senator Manchin’s support.”