President Joe Biden stuck to the White House’s script when pressed on whether the self-proclaimed deal-maker can secure support from Democratic holdouts Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for his scaled-back $1.75 trillion social welfare and climate spending framework.
“He will vote for this,” Biden told reporters Tuesday in Glasgow, Scotland. “I believe that Joe will be there.”
BIDEN’S PRESIDENCY FACES VIRGINIA REFERENDUM
White House press secretary Jen Psaki insisted one day earlier that Manchin was “prepared” to endorse Biden’s framework, which he revised down last week in a last-minute attempt to win Manchin and Sinema’s approval so House liberals would pass his $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal, provided that it “combats inflation, is fiscally responsible, and will create jobs.”
Manchin told reporters Monday he wanted to know how Biden’s $1.75 trillion social welfare and climate framework “would impact our debt, and our economy, and our country,” imploring liberal lawmakers not to hold the $1.2 trillion infrastructure deal “hostage.”
“We won’t know that until we work through the text,” he said. “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.”
Biden opened his closing remarks by contending “we got a lot done” at the United Nations’s 26th climate summit. He also swiped at Presidents Xi Jinping of China and Vladimir Putin of Russia for not attending, describing it as “a big mistake.”
“They’ve lost their ability to influence people around the world and all the people here at COP,” he said, using the “conference of the parties” acronym.
Of Putin specifically, the president added: “Literally the tundra is burning. He has serious, serious climate problems. And he is mum on the willingness to do anything.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
During the roughly 30-minute press conference, Biden sought to appease concerns regarding rising consumer prices due to supply chain kinks, as well as resource and labor shortages, amid the pandemic.
“Things are a hell of a lot better” this Thanksgiving, he said, comparing the economy to last Thanksgiving, when COVID-19 vaccines had not yet been approved.
