Moments after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced on Fox News that he won’t support President Joe Biden’s ambitious Build Back Better social spending package, effectively killing the bill, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said they should still “absolutely” hold a Senate vote on the legislation and let Manchin defend his opposition.
“I hoped to have at least 50 Democrats on board who have the guts to stand up for working families and take on the lobbyists and the powerful special interests,” Sanders said on CNN’s State of the Union. “I hoped to have 50 Democrats. If that is the case then I hope we will bring a strong bill to the floor of the Senate as soon as we can and let Mr. Manchin explain to the people of West Virginia why he doesn’t have the guts to stand up to powerful special interests.”
Later, Sanders added of Manchin that “If he doesn’t have the courage to do the right thing for the working families of West Virginia and America, let him vote no in front of the whole world!”
During his Sunday interview, Manchin also expressed support for holding a vote in the Senate.
