Sen. Joe Manchin Upsets Fellow Dems After Calling $3.5T Spending Plan Nonsensical
A massive $3.5 trillion spending package is desperately searching for life inside the Democratic Party; fueling an ongoing ideological tug of war between dubious moderates and opportunistic progressives.
While lead Democrats such as President Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been outspoken proponents of spending an additional $3.5 trillion, to pile on the excessive national debt, individualist Democrats like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) have been opposed to the costly package — questioning the long-term effects of fueling political playbooks using funds from an overheating U.S. economy.
Manchin drew more ire from his political party after penning an op-ed in the Washington Post; explicitly detailing why he will forego a blind vote for the infrastructure bill until his fellow Democrats devise a real plan with real benefits, rather than the expected word-salad reasoning regarding environmental activism, human rights and every other scripted left-wing talking point.
Manchin's logic behind his decision rests on a simple, apolitical standard: "If I can’t explain it, I can’t vote for it, and I can’t explain why my Democratic colleagues are rushing to spend $3.5 trillion."
"While some have suggested this reconciliation legislation must be passed now, I believe that making budgetary decisions under artificial political deadlines never leads to good policy or sound decisions," states Manchin.
The Senator adds, "Establishing an artificial $3.5 trillion spending number and then reverse-engineering the partisan social priorities that should be funded isn’t how you make good policy."
Focus from the bill has zeroed in on increasing the wealth tax, aiding child care spending and above all, combating climate change.
Though leveled as something of a covert right-wing agent inside the Democratic Party, Manchin's reasoning in opposing the spending bill, joining fellow Democrat Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), has been long been predicated on a request for transparency that the Democrats have abandoned with their spending habits. Manchin's lack of approval buries the bill's chances of getting passed, based on the 50-50 Senate split.
Manchin hopes that by challenging his Dems to consider the effects of skyrocketing inflation on subsequent generations, members within the party will also consider their vote rather than nodding along with every bill crafted by a politician with a "D" at the end.
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