Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair Joe Manchin (D-WV) attends a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the Department of Energy budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, USA , June 15, 2021.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
Sen. Joe Manchin said Sunday he would not vote on the $ 3.5 trillion budget bill, adding that there is “no way” to meet the deadline set by Democrats on Sept. 27, during an interview. on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“There’s no way to do it before the 27th if we do our job,” the West Virginia Democrat said.
Manchin’s comments come as lawmakers work to pass the measure that would invest in climate policy and expand social programs, including child and health care services, without the support of Republicans, who have opposed the proposed tax increase to finance it.
Last month, Manchin voted to pass the resolution, though he indicated he would likely oppose the final bill if lawmakers did not cut the cost. Last week, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain told CNN that Manchin is “very convincing.”
Manchin did not answer repeated questions about an ideal price for the bill, but said the urgency of the bill “is not the same” as with the American Rescue Plan.
“We have already earned $ 5.4 trillion and tried to help Americans in every way we can, and much of the help we have given is still there and will be clear until next year, 2022. Then , what is the urgency? What is the urgency we have? It is not the same urgency we had with the American Rescue Plan, “he said.
The American Rescue Plan, signed into law by President Biden in March, included in part additional incentive payments for many households, funding for vaccine production and distribution, and an extension of federal unemployment benefits.
Earlier this month, Manchin called for a “strategic break” to move forward with the plan, in a publication in The Wall Street Journal. Noting that Democrats should work for his vote and citing concerns about the effects of inflation and debt on existing government programs, he commented that the ABC’s “This Week” was also echoed on Sunday. .
Manchin also responded to comments from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who has tweeted earlier this month that there would be “no infrastructure bill without the $ 3.5 trillion reconciliation bill”.
“… I never thought … the progress we’re making in legislation was basically holding one hostage over the other,” Manchin told “This Week.”