White House: Sen. Manchin' Very Persuadable' On $3.5 Trillion Budget Bill

A Forbes report states that a top White House official is indicating that West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is likely to vote for the $3.5 trillion spending package. But Manchin, a moderate Democrat, has been a staunch opponent to the price of the spending bill.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain said Manchin is "very persuadable" on the bill. And though Manchin cites that the bill's price tag could lead to unforeseen inflationary measures, Klain says the bill could also circumvent the congressman's concerns via tax hikes on wealthy Americans.

According to The Wall Street Journal, on Thursday, Manchin said he couldn't justify voting for the bill due to the likelihood of its inflationary effects.

"I, for one, won't support a $3.5 trillion bill, or anywhere near that level of additional spending, without greater clarity about why Congress chooses to ignore the serious effects inflation and debt have on existing government programs," Manchin wrote in an op-ed.

For the bill to pass, Democrats need at least 50 votes along with Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaker, making Manchin's vote critical. The Senate is currently divided 50-50 among Democrats and Republicans.

But Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar said, even though Manchin has expressed opposition to such bills in the past, he has also "been willing to get to a place that's the right place to be."

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