Yesterday, The Hill’s Sylvan Lane reported that during a news conference Democrat Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia accused the Democratic authors of the so-called Build Back
Better spending bill of using “shell games and budget gimmicks” to mask “the real cost” of the legislation that he said could wind up being “twice as high” as advertised if its programs are extended.
Manchin called media reports asserting that he privately supports the White House framework as “mischaracterizations” and warned that he would not sign off until he fully understands how the complex legislation will impact an economy already flush with trillions of dollars of federal stimulus.
Progressive lawmakers say the bipartisan infrastructure bill is their only leverage against moderates such as Mr. Manchin. As such, they have pledged to block a House vote on infrastructure until moderates in the Senate send the bigger bill their way.
And Mr. Lane reported Far Left House Democrats brushed off Manchin’s concerns. “While liberals were exasperated, Democratic negotiators in the House said they’re on the brink of sealing a deal on Biden’s economic agenda despite Manchin’s barbs.”
“We intend to pass both bills through the House in the next couple of days,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told CNN Monday not long after Manchin’s press conference.
However, Rep. Jayapal said last week, “There is too much at stake for working families and our communities to settle for something that can be later misunderstood, amended or abandoned altogether… That is why dozens of our members insist on keeping both bills linked and cannot vote only for one until they can be voted on together.”
That puts the Democrat leadership in a real bind, and some Far Left Democrats have stopped being polite about Sen. Manchin’s reluctance to play ball and vote for the massive spending package.
David Atkins of the Far Left Washington Monthly said, “Senators Manchin and Sinema have their own, often inscrutable, political calculations for why they are endlessly watering down and delaying the infrastructure package. Some combination of misguided moral philosophy, narcissistic attention seeking, personal financial gain, and electoral incentives are likely driving their behavior.”
And Far Left Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) expressed her growing impatience and frustration with Manchin holding up the spending spree.
“I would like to ask Joe Manchin, ‘You know what Joe, we really need to be moving.' ... I don't think we're moving too fast,” she said according to Mr. Lane’s reporting.
“I think Joe made a mistake today by going out and doing the press conference,” said Sen. Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat. “I think at this moment in time trust is a hard thing and you don’t want to give people excuses to vote against the [bipartisan infrastructure bill] or against reconciliation.”
Some senators, like Sen. Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), literally cornered Manchin and blocked him from leaving while they attempted to keep the massive government-paid leave program alive.
Far Left Democrat Rep. Cori Bush (MO-1) publicly torched Manchin refusing to back the $1.75 trillion Bernie Sanders-inspired spending bill that House Democrats plan to vote on this week, calling his opposition to the spending package ''anti-Black, anti-child, anti-woman and anti-immigrant.''
In a fiery statement released after Sen. Manchin’s press conference, Far Left progressive Democrat Rep. Cori Bush said that ''Joe Manchin does not get to dictate the future of our country. I do not trust his assessment of what our communities need the most. I trust the parents in my district who can't get to their shift without childcare.
''I trust the scientists who have shown us what our future will look like if we fail to meaningfully address the climate crisis. I trust the patients and doctors crying out for comprehensive health coverage for every person in America,'' she said.
Rep. Bush concluded the incineration of Senator Manchin by saying, ''Joe Manchin's opposition to the Build Back Better Act is anti-Black, anti-child, anti-woman and anti-immigrant. Senator Manchin must support the Build Back Better Act.''
Right now our biggest worry is some alleged Republicans, like Sen. Lisa Murkowski or Mitt Romney, will forget the old adage about getting out of the way when your enemy is committing suicide and will step in to help the Democrats get the bills out of the Senate.
The toll-free Capitol Switchboard (1-866-220-0044), call today and tell your Senators and Representative you oppose the Biden – Pelosi – Bernie Sanders big spending outrage and demand they vote NO when the bills come to a vote in their respective chambers.
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