Joe Manchin's West Virginia Voters Oppose Build Back Better Spending Bill

Six in 10 West Virginian voters believe Sen. Joe Manchin should oppose President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” spending plan, according to a November 7 poll of 702 local voters.

The lopsided result is important because it provides Manchin with data that he can use to fend off pressure to back the huge spending bill, which also includes migration expansions that will divert future investment and government spending away from West Virginia.

The poll report by Mark Blankenship, at MBE Research, said:

Senator Joe Manchin has said he opposes President Biden’s current multi-trillion dollar spending proposal before Congress. Senator Manchin says the country cannot afford to spend that much money and instead favors proposals that better control government spending. Do you agree or disagree Senator Manchin should oppose President Biden’s multi-trillion dollar spending proposal?”

Twenty-four percent “strongly agree” with the statement, and 19 percent strongly disagreed. Overall, the split is 61 percent support, 37 percent oppose.

UPI

The poll report added:

Nearly three-fourths (74%) of West Virginia voters … agree Senator Joe Manchin should oppose President Biden’s multi-trillion dollar reconciliation spending bill in favor of legislation that would control spending more while 24% disagree with Senator Manchin’s opposition.

Manchin is at the center of attention because he says he opposes much of Biden’s BBB bill.

He is under intense pressure from supporters of the bill — including many business groups which support the bill’s cheap-labor migration sections.

If those provisions become law, coastal investors will have even fewer incentives to create new jobs in West Virginia, because they know the extra migrants will take up the jobs they create in their favored coastal states.

Manchin has zig-zagged on the issue. He has said he supports amnesty but also supports the Senate referee — also known as the parliamentarian — who has barred two amnesty proposals from the bill. He says he supports some spending but also opposes too much spending.

But sources say Manchin is quietly backed by multiple other Senators who want to preserve the clout of the Senate’s parliamentarian because the Senate’s debate rules empower senators from small states.

Manchin just told me he has NOT decided on whether to vote to proceed to the Build Back Better bill. If he voted NO, it would stall the effort. He also said “no, not at all” when asked if House passage of the bill — as soon as today — would influence his thinking

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 18, 2021