Biden says Manchin will support final version of spending bill

President Biden on Tuesday said he believes Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) will support the final version of his economic and social spending plan a day after the senator expressed reservations about voting for the package this upcoming week. 

“He will vote for this if we have in this proposal what he has anticipated,” Biden said at a press conference before departing a climate summit in Scotland. “I believe that Joe will be there.”

The West Virginia Democrat on Monday accused House progressives of holding the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed by the Senate “hostage” while warning the tactics won’t force him to commit to the separate $1.75 trillion spending bill before he is ready.

Manchin told reporters the House should immediately take up the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill, and he suggested the larger reconciliation package contains “budget gimmicks” and “shell games” and reiterated it should not add to inflation concerns or the national debt.

Biden on Tuesday cited the backing of numerous Nobel Prize winners in economics who back his spending proposal and say it will ease inflation and increase wages.

“I understand that Joe is looking for the precise detail to make sure nothing got slipped in in terms of the way in which the legislation got written that is different than he acknowledged he would agree to,” Biden said. “But I think we’ll get this done.”

Manchin has been a sought-after vote in the Senate for the $1.75 trillion reconciliation framework, which includes funding for climate programs, efforts to expand health care access, child care credits and education programs.

Biden has met in person with Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.), another moderate Democrat, multiple times in recent weeks to try to lock down their support.

In the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Tuesday after huddling with Democrats that the handful of outstanding issues holding up the reconciliation package “could be resolved by the end of the day.”