West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday said there is “absolutely” an infrastructure deal in Congress that will clear hurdles and be signed by President Joe Biden.
Last Thursday, the president proclaimed “we have a deal” after a 30-minute meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers who indicated they previously reached a compromise on the “framework” of a $1.2 trillion infrastructure package.
“I sure believe there is,” Machin said on a segment of ABC News’s This Week when asked if he believed there’s a compromise that would survive a vote in the Senate.
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“On the deal, absolutely, this is the largest infrastructure package in the history of the United States of America, and President Biden … is anxious for this bill to be passed and for him to sign it, and I look forward to being there when he does,” he added.
The West Virginia Democrat indicated that he hopes his “colleagues” would look at the potential legislation in a “positive light.”
“I could tell you there’s so much good being done, and I would hope that all of my colleagues would look at it in the most positive light,” he said. “They have a chance now to review it. It’s got more in there for clean infrastructure, clean technology … more money for bridges and roads.”
Sen. Joe Manchin tells @jonkarl there “absolutely” is an infrastructure deal Congress can pass and Pres. Biden will sign: “This is the largest infrastructure package in the history of the United States of America.” https://t.co/aG3Ud6cQDs pic.twitter.com/IrodnkVGa0
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) June 27, 2021
The bipartisan package would need to pass both chambers, including the Senate, where it will face a 60-vote threshold. Democrats must hold all 50 of their votes, and five more GOP senators must back the legislation.
A group of 21 senators, of which 10 are Republicans and 11 are Democrats, has been deliberating on the proposal for weeks to reach a consensus to prevent the upper chamber from using the reconciliation process, requiring a simple majority instead of a filibuster-proof 60 votes to advance legislation. The reconciliation process would allow the bill to pass without GOP support if all Democrats vote in favor.
Last week, a smaller bipartisan group of lawmakers agreed on a proposal that would total $974 billion on infrastructure projects such as roads and bridges, waterways, and expanded broadband. The proposal would include about $579 billion in new spending over five years but is still far less than Biden‘s $1.7 trillion proposal.
Republicans have staunchly objected to tax increases, while Democrats have echoed Biden’s promise not to raise taxes on those making less than $400,000 per year.
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Last week, Biden said “serious compromises” were made on both sides of the aisle.
“We made serious compromises on both ends,” the president said at the time. “They have my word, I’ll stick with what we’ve proposed, and they’ve given me their word as well.”
