U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol March 3, 2022 in Washington, DC.
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Sen. Joe Manchin has again thrown Democrats’ spending plans into flux, per The Washington Post.
Manchin said he wouldn’t support a spending bill funded by new climate spending or tax hikes.
The moderate Democrat previously tanked the Build Back Better agenda last year.
Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has once again thrown a wrench into Democrats’ spending plans.
The lawmaker told top Democrats on Thursday that he would not support an economic agenda that includes new climate change spending or tax increases to finance the legislation, according to The Washington Post, who cited two sources familiar with the negotiations.
The roadblock comes just as Democrats began reviving parts of their sidelined economic agenda with Manchin’s apparent support after the moderate Democrat tanked the original $2 trillion Build Back Better Act at the end of last year.
Democrats in recent months have been working to regain Manchin’s support in an effort to pass Biden’s economic agenda before the midterms. But several early agreements between the powerful moderate and his party are now at risk of being upended by Manchin’s refusal to budge on climate spending.
However, Manchin did say he was open to Democrats’ proposed measure that would slash prescription drug prices, The Post reported, citing the two people familiar with the situation. Democrats hope to pass the measure using the intricate reconciliation process — a maneuver allowing Democrats to circumvent a Republican filibuster and approve bills with a simple majority vote.
A spokesperson for Manchin did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
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