Manchin on HEROES Act: ‘Can’t Cure All of the Social Needs’ in a Pandemic Bill

During an interview with the “Fox News Rundown” podcast released on Wednesday, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) criticized the HEROES Act, the $3 trillion coronavirus legislation passed by House Democrats back in May, by stating that he doesn’t “support that amount that they’re putting towards different areas,” and arguing that while there are needs, “you can’t cure all of the social needs within a pandemic bill or a health crisis bill.”

Manchin said, “I think, if you look at the Democrats right now, from the House side, they’ve said, we’ve passed a bill. So, we’ve done our job. And it’s a very large, $3 trillion bill. I personally don’t support that amount that they’re putting towards different areas, I’m not saying that we don’t have a need, but you can’t cure all of the social needs within a pandemic bill or a health crisis bill. First of all, you should take care of the health crisis.”

Manchin also criticized Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for ignoring the requests of members of the Senate and failing to put together a bipartisan working group during the months that have gone by since the last coronavirus relief bill was passed.

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett