Sen. Joe Manchin blasted House progressives on Monday for holding the infrastructure bill “hostage” and said such tactics will not persuade him to the support the $1.75 billion spending bill before he’s ready.
“For the sake of our country…I am urging my colleagues in the House to vote and pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill,” Manchin said during a press conference on Capitol Hill.
“The political games have to stop,” he added. "Holding this bill hostage is not going to work in getting my support for the reconciliation bill."
Manchin, who’s been adamant that the price of the reconciliation bill—originally $3.5 trillion—is too high, questioned the $1.75 figure after more details have been released about the plan, which includes extended child tax credits, universal pre-K, an expansion of Medicare and Medicaid coverage, and other provisions.
“As more of the real details in the basic outline of the framework are released, what I see are shell games, budget gimmicks that make the real cost of the so-called $1.75 trillion dollar bill estimated to be almost twice that amount,” Manchin said. “This is a recipe for economic crisis.”
"To be clear, I will not support the reconciliation legislation without knowing how the bill would impact our debt and our economy in our country we won't know that until we work through the text," Sen. Manchin says, calling for a vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill. pic.twitter.com/u1AQ1Z00lv
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 1, 2021
His comments come after the House again failed to hold a vote last week on the infrastructure bill, the second time in a month. Progressives have threatened to derail the bill if the Senate doesn’t clear the reconciliation package.
Manchin was adamant that he wouldn’t be coerced into voting for the social spending bill.
"I'm open to supporting a final bill that helps move our country forward. But I'm equally open to voting against a bill that hurts our country," Manchin said.
“Holding that bill hostage is not going to work” Manchin says of linking reconciliation and bipartisan infrastructure
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) November 1, 2021
Leaves without taking questions