China News Service, November 2 According to a report from the US Chinese website, on November 1, the Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (Joe Manchin) of the United States Democratic Congress stated that the large-scale social expenditure of 1.75 trillion US dollars will affect debt and the economy. He will not support the bill that the Democrats are negotiating before.
"In short, without a thorough understanding of the bill's impact on our national debt, our economy, and-most importantly-all Americans, I would not support a bill with such consequences." Manchin said that day. Said at the press conference in the afternoon.
Manchin also called on the House of Representatives to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill and said that "taking the (infrastructure) bill as a hostage" would not allow him to support a larger social expenditure bill.
Since Biden released the framework of the $1.75 trillion spending bill, Manchin has not made any commitments to the bill and reiterated his main concerns on the 1st.
Although Biden and his team have been working hard for Manchin's plan after spending cuts for months, the moderate Democrat has been vague about the bill.
Manchin has been worried about the content of some bills, including the expansion of medical insurance.
The final rules of the bill have not yet been finalized, but Biden announced a framework last week that clarified key details. The plan will expand Medicare benefits to cover hearing impaired, but not as many progressives require. Vision and dental insurance.
Manchin said last week that he supports the $1.75 trillion bill price tag, but he did not weigh the bill as a whole and many details.
On the other hand, Manchin’s latest statement may cause progressives in the House of Representatives to continue to boycott another separate $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill as part of their efforts to pressure Manchin.
The $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill has received bipartisan support and passed in the Senate, but has been stranded in the House of Representatives because progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives have insisted that the infrastructure bill and the social expenditure bill should be passed together.
Unlike the infrastructure bill, the Democrats plan to pass the bill using a legislative tool called "budget reconciliation," which will enable them to pass the bill in the Senate without Republican support.
But this also means that the attitude of Manchin and another moderate Democratic senator, Sinema, is crucial.
White House officials tried to soften Manchin’s latest remarks on the 1st. They said they believed that Manchin’s concerns could be resolved through the framework of last week.
"Senator Manchin stated that he is ready to support a'better reconstruction' plan that will fight inflation, be financially responsible, and create jobs. The plan being finalized by the House of Representatives meets these requirements-the bill has been paid in full and will Reduce the deficit and bring about a reduction in the cost of people’s health care, childcare, aged care, and housing.” White House spokesman Psaki said in a statement, “We still believe that the plan will be supported by Senator Manchin. "
Currently, US President Biden is visiting Europe, and White House officials continue to contact lawmakers over the weekend to urge Congress to pass these two bills as soon as possible.
The social spending bill will include important priorities for liberals, including large-scale investments and significant expansion of social safety nets.
The bill will focus on expanding access to health care, addressing the climate crisis, and increasing assistance to families, which are also the core content of Biden's domestic agenda.