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West Virginians remain a pragmatic, common-sense people who understand that at some point, the bill comes due for government spending. We all should be thankful to Sen. Joe Manchin for remembering his roots and maintaining a common-sense approach to governance as he continues to push back against a $3.5 trillion "Build Back Better" spending spree championed by President Joe Biden and top Democrats. The plan would not serve the nation's best interests and drive the country further into debt.
Manchin, D-W.Va., last weekend bucked his party when he called for a "strategic pause" on the legislation. He is concerned not only with the overall cost of the package and how it would be paid for, but he also pointed out that much of the funding pumped into the economy over the past 18 months for COVID-19 relief -- more than $5 trillion -- has yet to be spent and could be reallocated.
"I cannot support $3.5 trillion," Manchin said, citing in particular his opposition to a proposed increase in the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%. Manchin said he would support a corporate rate of 25%.
"We should be looking at everything, and we're not. We don't have the need to rush into this and get it done within one week because there's some deadline we're meeting, or someone's going to fall through the cracks."
He also urged the House to first pass the $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan so that work could begin on rebuilding the nation.
The pushback against Manchin from top Democrats was swift. It came to a head Wednesday when Manchin and his Democratic Senate colleague, Krysten Sinema of Arizona, were called to a meeting at the White House where Biden pressed them for their support.
Don't expect Manchin to cave. Going against the party line on this proposed spending spree does not make Manchin an elephant in donkey's clothing. It makes him a leader who understands it is more important to do the right thing for his constituents than to put on a partisan show. A little jab here and there from his colleagues won't stop him.
If Manchin holds strong, lawmakers will, indeed, be forced to instead take another look at how we can spend within our limit and work solely for the people.