Manchin has 'serious concerns' about Dems' $3.5T spending plan, signaling trouble for Biden agenda

Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday morning said he has "serious concerns" about his party's massive $3.5 trillion spending plan, signaling that he may intend to block much of the package supported by President Biden over inflation and debt concerns.

Manchin is not the first moderate Democrat to express qualms about the massive spending plan that is being championed by Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., said last month, "while I will support beginning this process [of budget reconciliation], I do not support a bill that costs $3.5 trillion." But the timing of Manchin's statement and the fact there are now two Democrats expressing at least some level of opposition to the massive spending, signals that the final bill could need to be significantly pared back to get the votes of the two stalwart moderates. Even that could cause trouble for Democrats, however – it's not certain progressives in the House or Senate will accept a reconciliation bill that's meaningfully downsized.