Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) fired back at criticism from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) after Manchin doubled down on his promise to oppose Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation. Ocasio-Cortez previously criticized “bipartisan corruption” that “masquerades as clear eyed moderation,” referencing Manchin’s longtime efforts to work across the aisle.
Fossil fuel corps & dark money is destroying our democracy, country, & planet.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 2, 2021
All day our community has been pulling bodies out of homes from the flood. Entire families. And we’re supposed to entertain lobbyist talking points about why we should abandon people & do nothing? No.
Manchin refuted Ocasio-Cortez’s claim that he has “weekly huddles” with oil and gas lobbyists and said that her "totally false" claims are meant to “divide, divide, divide.”
“Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I keep my door open for everybody. It's totally false,” Manchin told CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday, adding that the “superlatives” used by Ocasio-Cortez are “just awful” and intended to “divide, divide, divide.”
“I don't know that young lady that well. I really don't. I have met her one time, I think, between sets here. But that's it. So we have not had any conversations. She just speculating and saying things because she wants to," he continued.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also took issue with Manchin's refusal to support a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation.
Dana Bash on reconciliation: "[Joe Manchin] wants to see something more in the ballpark of $1.5 trillion. Is that acceptable to you?"
— The Hill (@thehill) September 13, 2021
Sen. Bernie Sanders: "No it is absolutely not acceptable to me." pic.twitter.com/P2xyRBvuGk