Joe Manchin held a conference on Monday after he once again trashed the latest draft of Joe Biden's Build Back Better bill.
The West Virginia senator said that he needs more time to consider the $1.75 trillion budget proposed by Senate Democrats.
Manchin also said that he wants to wait for the Congressional Budget Office to evaluate the bill and estimate the fiscal impact of its various tax and spending components.
Some of the provisions included in the bill are universal prekindergarten benefits, subsidizing child care for employed parents, as well as green energy.
However, other provisions included in the bill are temporary, such as the one-year extension of the monthly child tax credit payments for most families in the country.
"As more of the real details outlining the basic framework is released, what I see are shell games, budget gimmicks that make the real cost of the so-called $1.75 trillion bill estimated to be almost twice that amount if the full time is run out, extended permanently," Manchin said via the Huffington Post.
Joe Manchin wants Democrats to vote on bipartisan infrastructure
Manchin also encouraged the House to vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill that the Senate approved three months ago. However, House progressives refused to support it until a decision regarding the Build Back Better bill.
But Manchin said that the House should not keep on waiting. After all, holding the bill hostage won't ensure that he will support the Build Back Better bill.
CNN's Manu Raju, who was at Monday's conference, said that Manchin's recent statement suggests that it will take time to win his support if that's even possible.
Rep. Cori Bush slams Joe Manchin
After the conference, Manchin received criticisms from Rep. Cori Bush, a member of the left-wing House squad that supported efforts to defund the police.
Bush said that Manchin's refusal to support Biden's Build Back Better bill is anti-Black, anti-child, anti-woman, and anti-immigrant. She added that Manchin doesn't dictate the future of the country, according to Fox News.
She added that ethnic minority groups had been excluded from the bipartisan infrastructure deal.
Manchin has been forced Biden and Senate Democrats to lessen their Build Back Better bill budget from $3.5 trillion to $1.75 trillion. However, Manchin wants the budget to be lowered further.
In order for Biden's Build Back Better bill to pass, it needs all 50 Democrats in the Senate plus a tie-breaker from Vice President Kamala Harris.
However, Manchin and Sen. Krysten Sinema are blocking the Democratic consensus.
White House releases a statement
After the conference, the White House released a statement claiming that Manchin was prepared to support the Build Back Better bill, but everything is still being finalized.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki added that they are confident that they will get Manchin's support in due time, according to NBC News.
As of press writing, Biden has not responded to the latest blow to the Build Back Better bill that he has been fighting for.
Related Article: Joe Manchin Blocks Universal Paid Leave After Democrats Failed To Convince Him To Support the Build Back Better Spending and Tax Bill
