"I think what we need to do is just really look at the bill, what we have right now, what came from the House and that's what I've been doing this afternoon," Manchin told reporters.
House Democrats narrowly passed the spending bill earlier this month after an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office noting that it would add $367 billion to the budget deficit over 10 years.
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Manchin said he had concerns that the massive spending package would influence inflation, which is now ravaging the U.S. economy.
"[I'm] really concerned about the high gas prices, I've been trying to talk to a lot of different people with knowledge about that, and the inflation that is going on and what the forecast is for that," he stated. "There are a lot of people who are hurting. I heard an awful lot over the Thanksgiving break that, you know, the prices were high and people were very much upset about that and they're concerned about that and if inflation is going to get worse."
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Manchin refused to say Monday whether he would even vote to open debate on the bill, repeating that he would have to "see what we have" before making a choice.
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The legislation, recognized as the Build Back Better Act, would expand social safety net programs like Medicare and provide paid family leave — which Manchin protests — and free preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds and hundreds of billions of dollars for environmental programs.
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The measure is expected to be amended before the Senate votes on it due to anxieties raised by Manchin and fellow moderate Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).
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Earlier Monday, Schumer (D-NY) promised to bring the package to the floor "so we can pass it as soon as possible and send it to the President's desk.
"Our goal continues to be to get this done before Christmas," Schumer continued.
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Senate Democratic leaders need to hold the whole caucus together to get the bill through the evenly divided chamber using the reconciliation process, which enables them to bypass the 60-vote legislative filibuster threshold.
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"America must pay its bills on time and in full," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday when she will testify before the Senate Banking Committee. "If we do not, we will eviscerate our current recovery."
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