West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin may delay President Joe Biden's big spending bill until next year due to inflation concerns, Axios reports.
Manchin still has not agreed to the specifics of Biden's plan and has been pushing to delay the legislation for months, arguing that Congress already spent a lot of money in the March stimulus package.
Manchin has long cited concerns about the deficit, debt, and inflation over the proposal even though it would be entirely funded by revenue increases, unlike the bipartisan infrastructure package Manchin helped negotiate.
But alarming new data showing that consumer costs rose the sharpest in 30 years last month has prompted a new round of handwringing over D.C. spending.
Manchin raises concerns over inflation:
"By all accounts, the threat posed by record inflation to the American people is not 'transitory' and is instead getting worse," Manchin said on Twitter about the Bureau of Labor Statistics released data showing the Consumer Price Index rising 6.2% last month over the previous year.
"From the grocery store to the gas pump, Americans know the inflation tax is real and DC can no longer ignore the economic pain Americans feel every day," Manchin added.
Biden vowed that his administration will respond with urgency to rising costs.
Bill may be delayed:
Manchin may refuse to sign on to Biden's $1.75 trillion package until next year as a result of his worris, according to Axios.
Manchin instead wants Congress to focus on funding the government, raising the debt ceiling, and passing the National Defense Authorization Act before the end of this year.
Manchin is also holding off until the Congressional Budget Office releases its estimates of how much the plan would cost and how much revenue it would raise.
