West Virginia Democrat Senator Joe Manchin has warned he'll frustrate Joe Biden's $1.2 trillion Build Back Better spending plan and vote to ax the private sector vaccine mandate.
Manchin, speaking to the Wall Street Journal, said that he hasn't made a decision whether or not he'll vote for the proposed spending bill, and says he has concerns flooding the markets with more money could further worsen inflation, which hit a 31 year-high of 6.2 per cent in October.
'We've got to make sure we get this right,' Manchin said. 'We can't afford to continue to flood the market as we've done.'
And, Manchin, one of two centrist Democrat senators who've drawn the ire of the party's progressive wing, has also indicated he'll side with the GOP to strike down a planned vaccine mandate forcing private sector workers to punish uninoculated staff.
Manchin said: 'I basically am 1,000% in favor of the federal government having a mandate [for employees]…private businesses, no.
Steve Manchin, pictured on Tuesday, says he'll continue to frustrate Joe Biden's $1.2 trillion Build Back Better plan over worries it'll further worsen already-spiraling inflation rates
'I don’t think the government has to make every decision for the private sector, you know. You’ve been doing quite well without us.' If, as widely expected, the Republicans and their Democrat supporters gain a simple Senate majority, they'll be able to kill the proposals.
Discussing his opposition to Build Back Better, Manchin mentioned an op-ed he wrote in September arguing Democrats should pause on trying to push the bill over inflation concerns.
'I was concerned then, and I said let's take a strategic pause,' Manchin said, adding that he still feels 'strongly about that.'
President Biden himself said last week that reversing inflation was one of his priorities in the immediate term, with the 6.2 per cent rate hit in October the worst in over 30 years
The Consumer Price Index rose 6.2 percent in October 2021 from one year prior - the highest it has been since 1990
Manchin has previously said he's opposed to including paid leave policies in the bill, as well as provisions that would encourage companies to transition to clean energy, which has since been dropped.
Manchin was also critical of both parties for attempting to use budget reconciliation to try and pass governing priorities.
'It was never intended to be used for major policy changes,' he said.
He is one of two moderate Democrat senators - the other being Arizona lawmaker Krysten Sinema - who've opposed Biden's lavish spending plans.
The plan, passed by the House of Representatives last month, includes $400 billion on child and family support, $555 billion on climate change, and $166 billion on housing aid.
The duo have infuriated the progressive wing of their party, but attracted praise from centrist Democrats and Republicans concerned by Biden's spending bonanza.
Other Democrats have argued that they must use reconciliation, or consider getting rid of the filibuster, because most of their agenda is only supported by the 50 members of their caucus.
With a 50-50 split in the Senate, Democrats must have every member vote so that Vice President Kamala Harris can cast a tiebreaking vote.
Biden has vowed to make reversing the country's rising inflation a 'top priority,' after the Consumer Price Index revealed inflation is at its highest level in 31 years.
The president has blamed the 6.2 percent increase in the cost of living on 'market manipulation,' and rising gas prices, despite the nation's top economists pointing to the country's supply-chain shortages and businesses struggling to meet the demand from COVID shutdowns as the reason for the rise in prices.
Biden said in a statement last Wednesday his $1.2 trillion Build Back Better plan will help slow the growing inflation problem and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has vowed inflation will not reach the exorbitant levels they were at during the Carter years, even as household debt increases to a record high.
The report prompted some backlash from top Republicans, and outspoken critics from his own party, like Sen. Joe Manchin, who tweeted the same day that 'the threat from inflation isn't 'transitory,' and is instead getting worse.'
'From the grocery store to the gas pump, Americans know the inflation tax is real and DC can no longer ignore the economic pain Americans feel every day,' he wrote.
The Consumer Price Index shows a rise in prices in every category from used cars, laundry equipment, furniture to food
Sen. Joe Manchin tweeted on Wednesday: 'DC can no longer ignore the economic pain Americans feel every day'
The response from Republicans was swift as inflation reached the highest levels since George H.W. Bush was in office
President Joe Biden arrived in Baltimore on Wednesday in the wake of the inflation report to tout him Build Back Better plan, which he claims will provide relief for struggling Americans
In a statement following the release of the Consumer Price Index on Wednesday, President Joe Biden said he is working to address the growing problem.
'Inflation hurts Americans' pocketbooks, and reversing this trend is a top priority for me,' he said, noting he has directed the National Economic Council 'to pursue means to try to further reduce these costs, and have asked the Federal Trade Commission to strike back at any market manipulation or price gouging.
Republicans, however, were swift with their criticism of the president's policies as inflation levels reached the highest they have been since George H.W. Bush was in office.
They blamed the rising inflation on President Biden's spending, as well as the Democratic Party's agenda - particularly the third round of relief checks and the expansion of federal unemployment benefits that was included in the March stimulus bill.
In a statement following the report on Wednesday, Sen. Rick Scott, of Florida, said: 'Every month of Biden's presidency, inflation has raged higher and prices have increased for hardworking families. His answer? More reckless spending.
'Gas prices are through the roof, forcing families on low and fixed-income, like mine growing up to make the impossible choice of either putting a few gallons in the tank or more food on the table.
'When it comes to helping working American families, President Biden and Democrats in Washington have flown right past sheer incompetence and decided to dive head first into purposeful destruction,' Scott said. 'You need to look no further than today's dismal CPI report to see that's true.'
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, of California, also released a statement saying: 'The Joe Biden plan for increasing Americans' standard of living is a complete failure.
'The cost of getting by in the United States is increasing at a faster rate today than it has in 30 years. And with the holidays around the corner, the Biden administration has only exacerbated the anxiety families face as we approach the most expensive Thanksgiving on record that will involve soaring prices and a scarcity of goods.
'Americans see it with their own eyes: ships are stacked up at our ports, shelves in stores that are empty, and heating and gas prices continue to rise. All of these problems add direct pressure on American families' pocketbooks,' McCarthy said.
'Meanwhile, President Biden and Speaker Pelosi are only focused on spending trillions of dollars - on top of the extraordinary $2.3 trillion Washington Democrats already enacted this year - that will inevitably make each of these crises worse.
'The American people want an end to the chaos this administration has created, and today's data is clear: we can't afford the consequences of the Democrats' failed agenda.'
And in a statement to DailyMail.com, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel: 'American families are facing record-setting costs for everyday goods, from gas to groceries, yet Joe Biden continues to push for trillions of dollars in wasteful spending and the largest tax hike in decades.
'Forcing unconstitutional mandates on workers and small businesses, giving tax cuts to the rich, and asking hardworking Americans to foot the bill for a socialist wish list prove just how out-of-touch Biden and Democrats are with reality. In Biden's America, your paycheck is worth less and you owe the government more.'
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