Manchin Comes Out Against Biden’s Infrastructure Bill As It ‘Exists Today’

President Joe Biden‘s new proposed $2 trillion infrastructure bill appears to be in trouble in its current form after a key Democratic senator says he opposes it as it “exists today.”

During an interview with West Virginia’s Metro News, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) told host Hoppy Kercheval he would not support Biden’s proposed bill “as the bill exists today.” He added, “It needs to be changed.”

Manchin went on, “It’s more than just me, Hoppy. There’s six or seven other Democrats who feel very strongly about this. We have to be competitive, and we’re not going to throw caution to the wind.”

Biden announced his new infrastructure bill last week, which he called a “once-in-a-generation investment in America, unlike anything we’ve seen or done.” The bill aims to rebuild the nation’s roads and bridges and seeks to make investments to combat climate change.

To pay for his bill, Biden plans to raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.

While Manchin told Kercheval he believes high earners should pay more in taxes, he said he believes the corporate tax rate should be raised to 25% and would not support raising it to 28%.

Most legislation in the Senate requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and pass the chamber. The Senate is currently split 50-50, and it could be hard for Democrats to win over 10 Republicans to pass the bill.

However, Senate Democrats believe they can use budget reconciliation, which cannot be filibustered, to pass the bill.