Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) was reportedly booed Thursday by Democrat Senators for raising concerns about the expense of the $3.5 trillion “infrastructure” price tag.
“One source described the West Virginian as being ‘jokingly booed’ by the other senators, but another source in the room did not see it that way,” Politico Playbook reported. “Tensions are torquing up among Democrats over the reconciliation bill — or, more precisely, over its proposed $3.5 trillion price tag.”
“Manchin views the growing national debt as a heavy burden that will drag down the economy, threaten national security and impose a heavy burden on future generations — fairly typical budget-hawk beliefs,” Playbook continued. “Does Manchin’s position — and that he was bringing it up at a meeting of his fellow Senate Dems — mean that we’re in store for even more haggling over the price tag of the reconciliation bill? Stay tuned.”
The booing of Manchin comes as Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) said Wednesday she also has reservations over the expense of the $3.5 trillion trojan horse “infrastructure” package:
I have also made clear that while I will support beginning this process, I do not support a bill that costs $3.5 trillion — and in the coming months, I will work in good faith to develop this legislation with my colleagues and the administration to strengthen Arizona’s economy and help Arizona’s everyday families get ahead.
Indeed, the expense of the “infrastructure” package may be signed into law during rising inflation, which Republicans and a few Democrats believe would continue to escalate the costs of everyday consumer items for the American workers.
On July 23, a top pollster of President Joe Biden’s war chest alerted the White House that “voters are really experiencing” inflation.
“Women voters,” a key demographic for Biden, “are really experiencing it, because they’re always more focused on kitchen table economics, microeconomics,” the pollster wrote.
The Producer Price Index, meanwhile, rose 7.3 percent in June from 12 months earlier, the largest demand since 12-month data was first introduced in 2010. In comparison to May, the index rose one percent. On average during the pre-pandemic Trump administration, the index rose by around 0.2 percent per month.