As clock ticks down, Manchin is the vote to get on spending plan
By Jordain Carney - 10/27/21 06:00 AM EDT
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is being lobbied intensely from all sides as President Biden and Democratic negotiators try to clinch a deal on their massive economic spending plan.
Manchin stands at the center of a 50-50 Senate and is one of the hardest “yes” votes for the White House to win over, making him an unofficial gatekeeper for what does, and doesn’t, get in the social spending bill, which started around $3.5 trillion but appears likely to end up closer to his preferred top-line figure of $1.5 trillion.
Manchin swears he doesn’t enjoy the current scrutiny as the make-or-break vote on several of the party’s priorities.
“I wouldn’t wish it on anybody,” he said during an event with The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. “It’s not pleasant. ... There’s nothing fun about it.”
But Manchin’s influence is being widely felt as Democrats try to get a framework agreement in a matter of days.
He snagged a rare invite to Biden’s house in Delaware over the weekend, where he, the president and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) tried to iron out key differences between the red-state Democrat and most of his colleagues.
While Manchin has frustrated some Democrats, they are aware they can’t afford to lose him if they want their priorities, including the Build Back Better spending package, to make it to Biden’s desk.
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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/578634-as-clock-ticks-down-manchin-is-the-vote-to-get-on-spending-plan
