Senator Joe Manchin says there is no way to pass a $ 3.5 trillion budget bill by September 27

Senator Joe Manchin said on Sunday he would not vote for the $ 3.5 trillion budget bill, adding that there was “no way” to meet the Sept. 27 deadline set by Democrats , during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union.

“There’s no way we can do this by the 27th if we do our job,” the West Virginia Democrat said.

Manchin’s comments come as lawmakers scramble to approve the measure that would invest in climate policy and expand social programs, including child care and health care, without the backing of Republicans, who are are opposed to the tax increases proposed to fund it.

Manchin last month voted to pass the resolution, although he said he would likely oppose the final bill if lawmakers did not cut the cost. Last week, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain told CNN that Manchin was “very convincing.”

Manchin did not respond to repeated questions about an ideal price for the bill, but said the urgency of the bill was “not the same” as with the US bailout.

“We have already disbursed $ 5.4 trillion and we have tried to help Americans in any way we can, and a lot of the help we have provided is still there and will be clear for the next year. next, 2022. So what’s the emergency? What’s the emergency we have? It’s not the same emergency we had with the US bailout, “he said.

The US bailout, promulgated by President Biden in March, included in part additional stimulus payments for many households, funding for vaccine production and distribution, and an extension of federal unemployment benefits.

Earlier this month, Manchin called for a “strategic pause” to move forward with the plan, in an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. He signaled Democrats should work for his vote and raised concerns about the effects of inflation and debt on existing government programs, comments he also echoed on Sunday on “This ABC Week ”.

Manchin also responded to comments from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who tweeted earlier this month that there would be “no infrastructure bill without the $ 3.5 trillion reconciliation bill.”

“… I never would have thought … that the progress we are making in legislation was essentially taking one hostage over the other,” Manchin said in “This Week”.