Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin criticized over the weekend the administration's approach to promoting its coronavirus relief plan following an interview Vice President Kamala Harris gave to a TV station in the state.
Manchin told NBC affiliate WSAF that the interview by Harris was "not a way of working together" and urged the White House to help find a "bipartisan pathway forward."
“I saw [the interview], I couldn’t believe it. No one called me [about it],” Manchin said. “We’re going to try to find a bipartisan pathway forward, but we need to work together. That’s not a way of working together.”
Manchin, a centrist, is viewed as one of the most important votes in the divided Senate, according to The Hill.
Harris said in the interview that “in West Virginia, one in seven families is describing their household as being hungry, one in six can’t pay their rent, and one in four small businesses are closing permanently or have already closed, so it’s a big issue in West Virginia and across the country. And that’s why the president and I are offering the American Rescue Plan.”
Manchin is a member of a bipartisan group of senators that has criticized the administration's relief plan, saying the proposed $1,400 direct payments should be targeted toward those in greater need, Politico reported.
The group held a call on Sunday with White House officials and expressed their concern that the plan wastes funds by providing too much money to wealthier Americans who are not in need of the help.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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