In an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal, Sen Joe Manchin (D-WV) urges his Democratic colleagues in the Senate to hit a ‘strategic pause’ on President Biden’s $3.5 trillion budget package. https://twitter.com/josh_wingrove/status/1433498312871718912 According to Manchin, rising inflation and increasing national debt tell him a ‘go-slow’ approach should be considered.
Instead of rushing to spend trillions on new government programs and additional stimulus funding, Congress should hit a strategic pause on the budget-reconciliation legislation.
A pause is warranted because it will provide more clarity on the trajectory of the pandemic, and it will allow us to determine whether inflation is transitory or not.
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.
I have always said 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.
I, for one, won’t support a $3.5 trillion bill, or anywhere near that level of additional spending, without greater clarity about why Congress chooses to ignore the serious effects inflation and debt have on existing government programs.
Read the full op-ed here. The legislation, which the Democrats plan to approve via a reconciliation process, needs all 50 Dem votes in the Senate in order to pass. If Manchin is a ‘no’ vote, then the package could be doomed. And if the budget package doesn’t pass, progressive House Democrats may torpedo the $550 billion Senate-approved bipartisan infrastructure bill. This is a mess. https://twitter.com/RepJayapal/status/1433520786678108167 https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1433539281155465216
Discover more from The Randy Report
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.