(Photo : Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 30: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) speaks to reporters outside of the U.S. Capitol on September 30, 2021 in Washington, DC. The Senate is expected to pass a short term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.
Joe Manchin has made his decision regarding the Build Back Better bill public.
On Thursday, Manchin also detailed his specific demands for the Democrats' bill vital to their legacy. But after weeks of uncertainty, the senator refused to sign the $6 trillion package that the progressives are asking for. Manchin didn't also sign the proposal of Democrats for a $3.5 trillion package.
Instead, he said that his maximum budget to support the Build Back Better bill is only $1.5 trillion. Manchin said that if Biden and the other progressives want to pass a bigger bill, they should elect more liberals.
Joe Manchin wants to limit spending to just $1.5 trillion instead of $3.5 trillion
The West Virginia senator proposed a deal to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer this summer to limit the Democrats' sweeping spending bill to $1.5 trillion.
According to Politico, Manchin has been distributing the document to his colleagues and other leaders recently.
Also, in the one-page document, Manchin states that the corporate tax rate should be increased to 25 percent, and the top tax rate on income should be increased to 39.6 percent. Both Manchin and Schumer signed the document, and the latter said that he would try to dissuade Biden on these matters.
However, a spokesperson for Schumer clarified that he didn't sign the document because he agreed with Manchin. Instead, he was acknowledging what the senator was saying.
Manchin has not been supporting Biden's policies
The Huffington Post also noted an irony because Biden reportedly won in the 2020 elections by a considerable margin partly by campaigning on policies that Manchin refuses to support.
What Biden and the Democrats want is to make community college free and pre-kindergarten universally available. They also want to continue providing payments to most households with dependent children.
Biden and the Democrats also want to expand the health care coverage of senior citizens and the poor. And on top of all this, they want new subsidies for new energy.
However, the only way for these bills to pass is if all Democrats in the Senate will agree. But Manchin has proven himself to be the odd man out.
Even though he has not directly rejected the bills that Biden and the Democrats want to push for, he thinks giving Americans too many benefits will work against their favor.
"I cannot accept our economy or basically our society moving towards an entitlement mentality. Because I'm more of a rewarding - because I can help those who really need help if those who can help themselves do so," Manchin said via Yahoo! News.
Manchin not in agreement with Democrats over Child Tax Credit bill
This week, Manchin also made headlines after encouraging Democrats to reconsider the Child Tax Credit bill.
According to reports, Manchin thinks that the current payouts and monthly dues that households with dependent children are receiving are too generous.
The senator has also been lobbying for removing poor households from getting the benefits to punish them for not earning money for themselves and their families.
Related Article: Child Tax Credit: Sen, Joe Manchin Urges Americans To Work To Get Biden's $3,600 Stimulus Payments
