Joe Manchin Continues to Warn About Inflation as Democrats Try to Pass Massive Spending Bill 

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) continues to express concerns about inflation regarding the Democrats’ massive $1.75 trillion social spending bill Democrat leaders hope to pass by the year’s end.

Speaking at a Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit on Tuesday, Manchin said, “the unknown we’re facing today is much greater than the need that people believe in this aspirational bill that we’re looking at, and we’ve got to make sure we get this right.”

Manchin went on to criticize Democrat leadership for changing the amount of time policies would last in an effort to decrease the bill’s cost. “One goes for three years, one goes for one year, and maybe one other one might go for the full 10 years. Do they not intend for those programs to last the full time 10 years? Well, if you intend for that to happen, what’s the real cost?” he asked.

Manchin’s remarks come as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) urges his members to support the bill before Congress leaves for the holidays. When asked about Schumer’s Christmas deadline, Manchin reminded the crowd that Schumer is “in charge of the calendar, so wherever he’s going to set it, and it’s time to vote, we vote.”

However, Manchin added he still feels “strongly about that” when talking about an op-ed he wrote that called for a strategic pause on this piece of legislation.

Congress should hit a strategic pause on the budget-reconciliation legislation. A pause is warranted because it will provide more clarity on the trajectory of the pandemic, and it will allow us to determine whether inflation is transitory or not.

The House of Representatives approved the legislation last month. Now, it awaits Senate approval before President Joe Biden can sign the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better bill.

Democrats need Manchin’s support to pass the social spending bill because they are using the budget reconciliation process to try and pass the bill. All 50 Senate Democrats, plus a tie-breaker from Vice President Kamala Harris, are required to bring the bill up for debate.

Manchin again criticized Democrat leaders for using the budget process to try and pass their social policies. “It was never intended to be used for major policy changes,” Manchin said.