Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he didn’t sign off on a framework for a $1.75 trillion social spending bill before it was released from the White House and that he didn’t think there was a “rush” to get a deal.
“No,” Manchin said, asked if he had signed off on the framework, adding that if he had, his current pushback wouldn’t be “genuine.”
“The White House knew exactly where I stood. There was a couple of concerns that we had that we needed to work through,” Manchin said.
“I’ve been here long enough to know that when you say you signed off on things, you got to keep your word and I’m not going to be a liar or make anyone else a liar, so that’s why I hadn’t,” he added.
The White House unveiled the framework for the $1.75 trillion spending deal on Thursday, with White House officials predicting it would get support from all Democrats.
Manchin, asked if he had thrown Biden a curveball as the president prepared to go overseas for an international climate change conference, pushed back, pointing to House progressives.
“Not at all. I feel basically it’s time to do something. The president’s over there. He went there. He asked for something before he left and everyone ignored it. I didn’t ignore it,” Manchin said, referring to Biden’s meeting with House Democrats.
Read more at The Hill.
{Matzav.com}
