Democrat West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin appeared on FOX’s “Special Report With Bret Baier” Wednesday afternoon to discuss the aftermath of Glenn Youngkin’s win in Virginia Tuesday, as well as the infrastructure and spending bill the Democrats are hoping to pass.
Manchin, noting how Virginia has been “fairly blue for 10 years” and Georgia has been “historically blue,” said of McAuliffe’s loss in Virginia and other Democrat losses around the country that he hopes “it is a wake up call for all of us.” (RELATED: Manchin Says He Offered To Become Independent If Democrats Thought He Was ‘Embarrassing’ Them)
Baier then asked, “What should they [Democrats] take from it [the loss]?”
Manchin said, “Let’s say on legislation – we’re about to start negotiating on the reconciliation bill. There is no excuse why the infrastructure bill hasn’t passed long ago – two weeks, three weeks ago. It would have been great for our country. It’s still great for our country and I’m hoping we get bipartisan support. It’s a bipartisan bill.”
The West Virginia Senator was referencing progressive Democrats’ decision Thursday to block a vote on infrastructure since Biden’s Build Back Better act was not being held for a vote at the same time.
“But the reconciliation bill, I think what it says is – ‘kind of slow down and take a breath,’” Manchin continued.
“Let’s look at this. We’re talking about major tax overhaul reform. We’re talking about changing our energy policy. We’re talking about a whole social rearrangement. We’re talking about $29 trillion of debt that we better get our hands around it and be responsible. And I have always said if you can’t get your financial house in order, it’s hard to do anything,” Manchin concluded.
Manchin is not the only Democrat opposed to select areas of Biden’s Build Back Better Act. Twenty-one House Democrats have recently called for a tax reporting proposal included in the legislation to be scrapped, citing concerns over privacy, as the Daily Caller previously reported.