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Manchin on COVID Relief Package: ‘We’re Going To Make This Work in a Bipartisan Way’

Democrats are paving the way to pass President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 package with just a simple majority in the upper chamber as administration officials are pouring cold water Republican lawmakers’ push…

Bradley CortrightFeb 3, 20213 min read

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Manchin stated, “We’re not going to blow it down the line. They can’t do it down the line.”

The West Virginia senator said he voted in favor of passing the budget resolution so that Democrats could begin the process of budget reconciliation to try to pass a bill quickly.

However, he added, “I will vote in a bipartisan way.”

Without Manchin’s vote, or any Republican support, Democrats would be unable to pass the relief package through reconciliation as they would not have a tie-vote that would give Harris the ability to cast the tie-breaking vote.

Biden met with a group of 10 Republican senators at the White House on Monday to discuss their proposed $618 billion relief package.

White House officials described the meeting as “productive” but said Biden told the senators that their bill was not large enough. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden told the senators “that he will not slow down work on this urgent crisis response, and will not settle for a package that fails to meet the moment.”

She added that “while is hopeful that the Rescue Plan can pass with bipartisan support, a reconciliation package is a path to achieve that end.”

Psaki has previously argued that using budget reconciliation to pass a relief bill would not preclude Republicans from in favor of it.