More people in Manchin’s, Sinema’s home states want to hold off on new spending: polls

A plurality of people in the home states of Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) want Congress to hold off on new spending in its multitrillion-dollar reconciliation package because of concerns over higher taxes, interest rates and inflation, according to a pair of new polls.

The surveys, conducted by YouGov, found that 53 percent of those polled in West Virginia think Democrats should scrap the reconciliation package because the investments may lead to higher middle-class taxes, interest rates and inflation.

Just 32 percent of West Virginians said Congress should pass the spending bill because it includes important investments in America’s future that are paid for by taxing the wealthy, while 16 percent said they were not sure.

In Arizona, 47 percent of respondents said Congress should throw out the reconciliation package because of concerns over higher middle-class taxes, interest rates and inflation, while 37 percent said the bill should move forward because it contains important investments that are funded by taxes on the rich.

Sixteen percent said they remained unsure.

To gauge public opinion on the social spending package, the poll asked respondents which argument more closely aligned with their view: “Spending $3.5 trillion we don’t have would lead to higher middle-class taxes, higher interest rates, and higher inflation. Congress should scrap this spending plan” or “This $3.5 trillion budget plan contains important investments in America’s future paid by taxing the wealthy. Congress should pass this spending bill.”

The waning support for spending in the reconciliation package comes as lawmakers on Capitol Hill are nearing the end of negotiations on the bill, which have dragged on for months.

Manchin and Sinema have emerged as key figures throughout the deliberations, breaking from the party on a number proposals in the legislation.

Most notably, the two were opposed to the initial $3.5 trillion price tag, forcing lawmakers to bring the top-line number down. Reports say the total dollar amount of the package will likely be around $2 trillion.

Additionally, the Clean Energy Payment Program, which was central to the Democrats’ climate change agenda, likely will be cut from the bill because of Manchin’s opposition, and Sinema’s office has said the senator is against increasing tax rates, which has been floated as a way to fund the investments.

YouGov’s West Virginia poll surveyed 400 respondents between Oct. 7 and Oct. 18, with a margin of error of 6.9 percentage points. The group’s Arizona poll surveyed 700 respondents between Oct. 7 and Oct. 8 with a margin of error of 4.8 percentage points.

The majority of respondents in both polls were registered voters.