Manchin Wrecks Left’s Agenda And ‘Defund The Police’ Squad Member Has A Meltdown

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has said that he will not bend to the Democratic Party’s pressure in supporting President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion social spending package. His refusal has resulted in questions and earned him the ire of a Democratic 'Squad' member who chided him using the usual leftist tropes — "anti-Black, anti-child, anti-woman and anti-immigrant."

At the media briefing Monday, Manchin said House Democrats were delaying the infrastructure bill, adding that he will not support the social spending bill unless he reviews its policies thoroughly to determine whether the schemes would do good for the American economy and its citizens.

Manchin said the social spending bill used “shell games, budget gimmicks” in its framework, Politico reported. He also called for a vote on the infrastructure bill. “Holding this bill hostage is not going to work in getting my support for the reconciliation bill,” he said.

Manchin’s comments have since drawn mixed reactions from other Democrats in Senate. Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, noted that the president “obviously has work to do” in convincing Manchin to support the bill. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said “quite a few of us are going to continue to press our friend and colleague.” Other senators like Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., believe that Manchin “is not going to be the guy who” will betray the president.

However, other politicians have a stronger and more critical view of Manchin’s continued refusal to support the “Build Back Better” Act.

Following the West Virginia senator’s statements, Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., released a statement on the issue, saying Manchin “does not get to dictate the future of our country.”

Bush, who is a member of Congress group “The Squad” and a supporter of the “Defund the Police” movement, said, “Joe Manchin’s opposition to the Build Back Better Act is anti-Black, anti-child, anti-woman, and anti-immigrant. When we talk about transformative change, we are talking about a bill that will benefit Black, brown and Indigenous communities.”

For Bush, Manchin’s “assessment of what our communities need the most” cannot be trusted.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., also appeared to comment indirectly on Manchin’s statements regarding the reconciliation bill’s high costs. Speaking with reporters, Sanders did not mention Manchin in his comment but he said the infrastructure bill “runs up to a $250 billion deficit” and is “not paid for,” while the “legislation that I wanna see passed,” the social spending package, “is paid for in its entirety,” The Hill reported.

The former U.S. representative added that his comments were addressed to “anybody in the Democratic caucus or elsewhere that’s worried about fiscal responsibility and the deficit.”