Joe Manchin: Far-Left “Should Elect More Liberals” to Ram Through $3.5T Reconciliation Package

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on Thursday confirmed to reporters his topline number for the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package is $1.5 trillion.

During the media powwow, Manchin said the far-left “should elect more liberals” if they want a more radical package with a price larger than $1.5 trillion.

On a pivotal day for the Democratic agenda, Sen. Joe Manchin gaggles with the press outside the Capitol. pic.twitter.com/7xIuMryXES

— Zach C. Cohen (@Zachary_Cohen) September 30, 2021

When a PBS reporter asked Manchin what he “thinks about that possibly [of] tanking the infrastructure deal,” Manchin replied that is the House’s decision.

“That’s their decision,” he stated.

As Manchin spoke to a GIANT group of reporters, a group of a dozen protesters about 100 yards away yelled “no reconciliation, no deal! And “Joe Manchin is a traitor! Build Back Better, now not later!” pic.twitter.com/7tsooBwj6x

— Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) September 30, 2021

Manchin’s press conference comes after a signed promise between Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Manchin was leaked, which revealed the reconciliation package would only cost $1.5 trillion, not the $3.5 trillion President Biden proposed and the number House Democrats are demanding.

“Senator Manchin does not guarantee that he will vote for the final reconciliation legislation if it exceeds the conditions outlined in this agreement,” the paper says, marking the deal down to Manchin’s demands.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV): "I've never been a liberal in any way, shape, or form," so if progressives want a bigger reconciliation bill, "elect more liberals." pic.twitter.com/Xkf7NLRMtp

— The Recount (@therecount) September 30, 2021

The signed document also notes debate on the reconciliation package will begin no later than October 1.

Manchin’s public statement confirms the worst fears for the radical Democrat Party, which wanted assurances Manchin would vote for a $3.5 trillion package before the House would approve the $1.2 trillion “bipartisan” infrastructure bill.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and her 94-member “Congressional Progressive Caucus” have repeatedly told House members to block the $1.2 trillion “bipartisan” infrastructure bill up for a vote Thursday to maintain their leverage over Biden’s agenda.

“I will not be able to support that, and neither will the majority of our members,” Jayapal told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday evening.

With Manchin’s latest statement, it is unlikely the vote will occur Thursday on the “bipartisan” bill, further throwing the Democrat Party into a tizzy.

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø