With everything going on in Virginia between Terry McAuliffe and Glenn Youngkin, the battle over Joe Biden’s agenda had taken a backseat in the news, but that may have changed in a big way today.
Late last week, a vote to push through the bipartisan infrastructure bill was scuttled after progressives refused to vote for it without more than a framework on the “Build Back Better” boondoggle. This was Nancy Pelosi’s second call to halt the vote. But, Democrats showed confidence once again by Saturday. Both bills were expected to be up for vote by Tuesday.
Joe Manchin then pounced on the scene like a Kool-Aid guy today.
And Manchin basically guarantees BIF won’t pass anytime soon with this: “I will not support a bill that is this consequential, without thoroughly understanding the impact…”
— Rick Klein (@rickklein) November 1, 2021
That second tweet should actually read “BBB,” which stands for “Build Back Better.” What Manchin is doing here is hitting the brakes on the progressive bill completely because it contains a variety of ridiculous budget gimmicks where programs are only funded for a few years while claiming they are “paid for.”
Below are some top quotes taken from National Review.
Manchin reiterated his concerns about “exploding inflation,” the debt, the potential for rising interest rates, and the creation of new social spending programs. “How can I in good conscience vote for a bill that proposes massive expansions of social programs when vital programs like Social Security and Medicare face insolvency and benefits could start being reduced as soon as 2026 in Medicare and 2033 in Social Security?” he asked rhetorically. “How does that make sense? I don’t think it does.”…
…But then Manchin took things a step further.
He said, “As more of the real details outlined in the basic framework are released, what I see are shell games — budget gimmicks that make the real cost of the so-called $1.75 trillion bill estimated to be almost twice that amount if the full time is run out. You could extend it for a permanent period. And that we haven’t even spoken about.”
That escalated very quickly.
Although Democrats seemed optimistic today, it is a significant blow to their dreams and hopes. If Manchin isn’t on board with the sleight of hand they plan to do with the reconciliation bill, he’s essentially dooming Biden’s agenda to failure because there is no world in which that bill is actually paid for in a responsible way.
The Democrats were actually attempting to fund entitlement programs only for a few years, while the CBO rated the bill over a 10-year period. This is a game to make Americans accept the “free stuff” so Congress can extend programs later. And just like with the re-upping of Obamacare subsidies we’ve seen in the past, “paying for it” would no longer even be a discussion once the public is fully invested. It’s a cynical game and Manchin seems to be announcing that he’s not down to play.
Does West Virginia’s senator want to find an escape hatch? It does feel like it. He’s strung these negotiations out for months, and after the progressives finally bent the knee, he’s kicking them in the face again. Perhaps he wants to see how tomorrow’s election goes? Perhaps he can see the writing back home and wants to know what the outcome is. It doesn’t matter, the White House is furious. Where do they go from here if Manchin won’t accept their budget gimmicks? You won’t find the answer anywhere.
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