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- Joe Manchin said on Sunday that he could not guarantee the passage of the Senate reconciliation package.
- “Do we want to do more? Yes, you can do what you can pay for,” the senator said on CNN.
- AOC said the House could scuttle a bipartisan spending bill in the absence of a reconciliation plan with progressive priorities.
Senator Joe Manchin said on Sunday that he “can’t really assure anyone” that the Democrat-led reconciliation plan would be approved by the Senate.
During an appearance On CNN’s “State of the Union,” the moderate West Virginia Democrat told host Jake Tapper he couldn’t guarantee passage of any specific legislation.
“I can’t really guarantee anyone,” he said. “I haven’t guaranteed anyone on any of these pieces of legislation. Would we like to do more? Yes, you can do what you can pay for. It’s paid. Our infrastructure bill is fully paid. We don’t. We don’t have a debt, which we will get into more debt by throwing in. “
He added: “As far as reconciliation goes, it should be looked at in the same way. That’s why I said we were going to get the budget resolution. Let’s start the process and then see where it goes.”
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The Senate appears to be on the verge of passing an estimated $ 1,000 billion bipartisan infrastructure bill that was announced by President Joe Biden and likely to be voted on next week.
—The Hill (@thehill) August 1, 2021
Biden and a group of Democratic and Republican senators reached a deal in late June on a long-awaited plan that includes eight years of spending investments that will fund critical infrastructure projects such as modernization of highways and bridges.
A separate $ 3.5 trillion infrastructure bill developed by Senate Democrats would outline infrastructure priorities focused on child care, clean energy and education. The party aims to pass the legislation through the budget reconciliation process, which requires a simple majority and is not subject to the 60-vote threshold needed to break an obstruction.
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However, with the GOP’s non-existent support for the larger spending bill, the 50-member Democratic caucus must come together for the legislation to pass.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Sunday said in a separate interview with Tapper that there were “more than enough” members of the Democratic House who could defeat the bipartisan infrastructure bill if the reconciliation package is not passed by the Senate.
The progressive New York Democrat told Tapper that if the $ 3.5 trillion infrastructure bill does not pass the Senate, the House “will respect our end of the bargain and not pass the bill. bipartite law until we get all these investments, ”a reference to“ human infrastructure ”priorities like universal preschool and climate initiatives.
During the interview, Manchin also raised concerns about the price of the legislation, expressing concerns about the long-term financial health of the country.
“Someone should be concerned about getting your financial situation in order,” he said. “So I’m worried about this. I’m worried about inflation. But, with that, we’re going to pay for it. So let’s see what the pay-for – if they’re real.”
He added: “Are we going to go too far and make ourselves uncompetitive? I wouldn’t be for that.”
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