White House Fails to Address Joe Manchin’s Concerns About Corporate Tax Hikes

The White House conceded on Monday that Senate Democrats such as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) opposed President Joe Biden’s plan to raise corporate tax rates to pay for his massive $2.5 trillion infrastructure plan but failed to specifically address his concerns.

Manchin said during a radio interview Monday he could support raising corporate taxes from 21 percent to 25 percent but not President Biden’s proposed 28 percent.

When asked about the moderate Senate Democrat’s concerns about the bill, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said they will be part of ongoing discussions with the president.

“He knows that some will come forward with different ways to pay for this package, and some may have views that it shouldn’t be paid for at all,” Psaki said about Biden while speaking to reporters during Monday’s press briefing. “So we fully expect that from Sen. Manchin and other members, and we expect the question how to pay for the package if we pay for the package to be part of the discussion moving forward.”

But Manchin said at least six or seven other Democrats agreed with him about corporate tax rates, and he stated his opposition to the package.

“If I don’t vote to get on it, it’s not going anywhere,” he said.

The White House conceded the debate over corporate tax hikes and Biden’s proposal will continue in Congress, as the plan was still in the “early stages.”

“There will be different ideas for tax proposals that will all need to be weighed by a range of questions,” Psaki said.