Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Wednesday said he thinks President Biden’s social spending and climate bill, the Build Back Better Act, is “dead forever” as Senate Democrats struggle to get their caucus unified behind the legislation.
Graham pointed specifically to the wariness of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who has signaled concerns about the roughly $2 trillion cost of the bill and its potential effects on inflation.
“I think Build Back Better is dead forever, and let me tell you why: because Joe Manchin has said he’s not going to vote for a bill that will add to the deficit,” Graham said during an appearance on Fox News’s “Hannity.”
“At the end of the day, Joe Manchin has promised the people of West Virginia, ‘I will not vote for a bill that adds to the deficit that’s full of gimmicks,’ so I think [it] is dead forever,” he added.
The expanded child tax credit has been a key focus of the late-stage negotiations within the Democratic Party. The House-passed version of the bill includes a one-year extension for the pandemic-era policy, but Manchin is now floating the idea of extending it for multiple years so the cost of the proposal, which Congress will likely extend in the future, is fully reflected in the legislation.
Graham, during his conversation with Sean Hannity, cited a score from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which he requested, that analyzed the Build Back Better Act should its provisions be made permanent and found that the legislation would add $3 trillion in deficit spending.
Republicans are hoping that the… (Read more)
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