Sanders hits back at Manchin's spending concerns
By Jordain Carney - 11/01/21 06:08 PM EDT
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took a veiled swipe at Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Monday after the moderate senator raised a red flag about the costs of Democrats' social and climate spending bill.
Sanders, speaking with reporters at the Capitol, didn’t mention Manchin by name, instead addressing “anybody in the Democratic caucus or elsewhere that’s worried about fiscal responsibility and the deficit.”
“The fact is ... that, according to the CBO [Congressional Budget Office], the infrastructure bill runs up to a $250 billion deficit. It’s not paid for,” Sanders said.
“The legislation that I wanna see passed ... is paid for in its entirety. It will not have an impact on inflation. So if we’re talking about fiscal responsibility, I think what we’re trying to do with the reconciliation bill is the right thing,” he added.
The CBO estimated in August that the roughly $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which was negotiated by a group of senators, including Manchin, would add $256 billion to the deficit over the next decade.
Supporters of the infrastructure bill argued that it was fully paid for and that the CBO analysis didn’t include all of their revenue streams, including unused coronavirus relief money.
more
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/579497-sanders-hits-back-at-manchins-spending-concerns
