Joe Manchin: ‘D.C. Can No Longer Ignore’ Inflation as Democrats Poised to Vote on $1.75 Trillion Infrastructure Bill

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said Wednesday that D.C. “can no longer ignore” inflation as Democrats remain poised to pass the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act.

Manchin released a statement after the Department of Labor revealed the Consumer Price Index rose at the fastest pace in decades in October.

Breitbart News Economics Editor John Carney noted prices rose 6.2 percent compared with last October.

Manchin said in response to the reports about Americans reeling from rising costs, “By all accounts, the threat posed by record inflation to the American people is not ‘transitory’ and is instead getting worse. From the grocery store to the gas pump, Americans know the inflation tax is real and DC can no longer ignore the economic pain Americans feel every day.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Tuesday she hopes to pass the Build Back Better Act next week. Although the bill is poised to pass the House next week, it remains unclear if Manchin will support with its current spending level.

Manchin said in early November he would not vote for the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act without knowing about the bill’s impact on inflation and the deficit.

Manchin called for time to understand the implications of the mammoth legislation.

“That is why we must allow time for complete transparency and analysis on the impact of changes to our tax code and energy and climate policies to ensure that our country is well-positioned to remain the superpower of the world,” he said.

Manchin has warned he remains ready to block the bill in the Senate if the legislation would harm the economy. Democrats have a one-member majority in the Senate, and his vote against the bill could block the reconciliation bill in Congress’s upper chamber.

“I’m open to supporting a final bill that helps move our country forward. But I’m equally open to voting against a bill that hurts our country,” he said.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.