Sen. Joe Manchin gave a death blow to Democrats’ massive entitlement expansion plans Sunday on “Fox News Sunday” with Bret Baier, saying, “I can’t vote for it.”
“I’ve tried everything humanly possible, I can’t get there,” Manchin told Baier of the massive welfare expansion the Congressional Budget Office recently estimated would cost a record-breaking $5 trillion over the next ten years, despite budget gimmicks designed to frontload taxes. President Joe Biden repeatedly claimed, amid record federal budget deficits and government-spending amplified inflation, that this unprecedented government expansion would “cost nothing.”
With the Senate divided 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats (the two Independent senators caucus with Democrats), any Democrat declining to vote with his party or Republican crossing over can make or break a bill. Congress hasn’t fully passed a regular budget in approximately two decades, instead running largely on continuing resolutions and massive “Christmas tree” bills rammed through after secret negotiations between congressional leadership and no time for members to read what they’re voting to make Americans fund.
Manchin, who faces an electorate in West Virginia that has become increasingly Republican, released a statement later Sunday with more details about his position.
“My Democratic colleagues in Washington are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face. I cannot take that risk,” Manchin wrote.
