Manchin sets $1.5 trillion limit on spending package, dealing blow to Biden agenda

Sen. Joe Manchin dealt a blow to fellow Democrats and President Joe Biden Thursday, announcing he won’t back a massive social welfare spending package that costs more than $1.5 trillion.

The figure, which Manchin has been floating publicly for weeks, falls far below the $3.5 trillion most House and Senate Democrats say they need at minimum to create a broad array of new government programs and assistance under Biden’s Build Back Better Plan. Manchin’s announcement is likely to thwart efforts to pass a critical bipartisan infrastructure plan on Thursday that Biden hoped to sign into law along with it.