Manchin Unloads On Democrats In Highlighting Problems With America Under Biden’s Leadership

Over the weekend, Sen. Joe Manchin (D.WV), highlighted many issues facing America in an interview. Many of these problems were largely due to President Joe Biden’s leadership.

Manchin stated these remarks in a CBS News interview on Sunday with Margaret Brennan “Face the Nation,” When discussing the derailment of a train in East Palestine, Ohio.

“It’s time for us to get serious about this. We’re moving many, many products, many more products on the rails and on our roads than we ever did before. And we have a lot of people who don’t want any pipelines. Pipelines would help alleviate a lot of this problem with the oil that we need in our country and we will be using for quite some time to do it safer,” He said. “But out of sight, out of mind. They are thinking, if you don’t have a pipeline, you won’t be using the product. Well, that’s far from the truth. And this is the results of people just not making good decisions. And it’s what’s broken in West Virginia and broken across the country as far as in Washington, the politics.”

Brennan mentioned that Manchin has recently spoken at a “fiery speech” in the Senate where he was at odds both with the Biden government and many within the Democrat Party regarding their “out-of-control spending and are refusing to negotiate.”

Manchin indicated that U.S. officials should make it their number one priority to get back home. “to normal” The pandemic is now over.

“We’ve gone from $3.5 trillion in spending to over $6.2 trillion in spending every year,” Manchin spoke. “That’s just unacceptable. You’ve got to sit down. Anybody that thinks we don’t have a problem in Washington, anybody that thinks that the politics is not broken in Washington is not living in reality, does not want to face the facts and the truth.”

Manchin claimed that the U.S. has no such thing. “even have a budget anymore” Biden, who is one month late with his budget announcements is in direct violation of U.S. laws.

“We’ve got a runaway debt. We got inflation that’s killing people,” Manchin spoke. “We’ve got an unsecured energy. We have a border that’s out of control.”

WATCH:

TRANSCRIPT:

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: Good morning, Brennan. Thank — Margaret, thanks for having me.

MARGARET BRENNAN : Let’s get started on this derailment.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN (Yes)

MARGARET BreNNAN: Last week, the president praised bipartisan railway safety legislation, which would create new rules for trains carrying dangerous materials, increase penalties for safety violations and phase in newer vehicles.

Do you want to vote in favor of it? Does that suffice?

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN : I support that. It is necessary.

In 2015 in Mount Carbon, West Virginia we experienced a train derailment that resulted in 27 vehicles, including tanker trucks carrying Bakken oil. The train was thrown off its tracks, and it exploded. This caused huge problems. It was extremely dangerous. It could have been a little — a lot worse, if it had been a little farther down the tracks, could have torn up a whole town.

But with that we were recommended that the electronic pneumatic brakes should be something — should be considered that might prevent this, routine maintenance checks and auditing and things of this sort. None of this has happened to me.

We need to be serious. Many, many goods are being moved on rails and roads. There are many people out there who oppose pipelines. We will continue to use pipelines for a long time, making it easier to solve many of the problems we have with oil in this country.

Out of sight is out of mind. Their belief is that the pipeline will prevent them from using their product. This is far from true. These are the consequences of poor decisions. And it’s what’s broken in — in — in West Virginia. And — and…

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: … broken across the country as far as in Washington, the politics.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want…

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN : It isn’t working. It must be fixed.

MARGARET BRENNAN: I want — I want to come back to energy in a moment.

You are saying that it is broken. In the Senate, you delivered a fiery speech just a few days before. Your argument that Democrats should talk about out-of control spending is what you have been saying and refusing to negotiate puts you at odds with your White House counterparts.

It was a slur that you made about Republicans not offering cuts. If you are the dealmaker — you seem to be positioning yourself there — where is it that you see room for negotiation?

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN

I was hoping that he would, first of all, take things off the table that doesn’t cause a conflict, but most — most importantly, sit down with the president. He reached out to White House. They sat down and had a conversation. That’s what I encourage more.

But what we can do is, can’t we get together and just talk about how do we have this much debt accumulated this — in this short of a period of time? Margaret, within ten years we have amassed the largest amount of debt in our nation’s history in the shortest time period. How did we expand?

COVID was so important to me. But, you know, we’re past the COVID…

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: … problems. We need to return to normal.

In the past 10 years, we have gone from spending $3.5 trillion to spending over $6.2 trillion every year. This is unacceptable. You have to be seated. Anyone who thinks Washington doesn’t have problems, or anyone that believes Washington politics aren’t broken, isn’t living in reality.

MARGARET BRENNAN: OK.

So — so, what is the truth here? Since Medicare and Social Security account for nearly 40% of the spending in 2023. These programs are not being used by anyone, so where is the money?

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN (English): First, do your job promptly.

We’ve been told that, if we just had a budget done — we don’t even have a budget anymore. The president is — is a month late in putting his budget out, which will come out next week. However, I do not see either the Senate or the House moving forward with a budget. And, basically, by a piece of legislation was passed back in 1985, we’re supposed to have our budgets…

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: … from the House and the Senate done by April the 1st.

The president basically submits his in February, and, by September the 30th — I’m told there’s billions and billions of dollars of savings just right there if we just do it on time.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Sure. But that’s not…

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN – We are not doing this.

MARGARET BRENNAN: That — right.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN (Reply to: Joe Manchin) That’s…

MARGARET BRENNAN: But that — but…

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: But it gets a downward trajection, basically, and capping…

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes, but more has to be done…

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: How about capping some of the…

MARGARET BRENNAN: … done than that. I mean, you know…

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN (Yes, capping some discretionary spending).

MARGARET BRENNAN: You — OK.

It’s not hard to see why there is so much. But I want to ask you, what is Joe…

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: Hey, Mar…

MARGARET BRENAN: Joe Manchin is looking for what this deal will bring. Is it your desire for permitting reform?

Is that what you are looking for?

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: Well, rather — tucking something in, we’re not trying to hide anything, basically.

We can’t allow permitting and America doesn’t have permitting reform, so we won’t be able to face the energy challenges. You can’t become a global superpower if you aren’t energy secure.

It must be done. It doesn’t matter which side you are on: if transmission is your goal, or pipelines are your goal, you must realize that we will have an energy plan with balanced goals. This is why the Inflation Reduction Act came into existence, to ensure energy security. This administration presents it as a strictly environmental bill.

It’s good for the environment, but it’s also very, very necessary for us to have the fossil energy…

MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: … using it better and cleaner than anywhere in the world to have the security we need. We need to be doing that. That’s exactly what they have been trying to avoid.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN (Reporter): Permission is required. This will all be null and void.

MARGARET BRENNAN : Hello, I’m interested in your thoughts on what looks like a split between President Obama and yourself.

Yesterday, I heard you say: “We’re just in different ball games. We’re not even in the same ballpark on many things.”

Do you intend to support Joe Biden in his bid for reelection.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN : It’s not too late for the election. America is having a problem right now. Each cycle brings us to the point where we have to start an electoral process.

MARGARET BRENNAN : He is the leader of your party.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: I — I — no, the bottom line is, let’s see who’s involved. Let’s just wait and see who the other players are. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

My main purpose right now is to work for my country and my — and my state. This is my responsibility. I won’t make any announcement until after the year ends. I am not going make any decision about what my political position will be, or how I plan to spend my future political career.

This will not be completed until the end the year. There is too much to do right now.

MARGARET BRENAN – Your political future is what you are referring to, namely the decision of whether or not your personal ambitions for the Senate seat in West Virginia.

Jim Justice (Republican governor) says that he will run for the seat or thinks he has a chance. You haven’t made your decision yet.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: There’s too — the bottom line, I got plenty of time to make up my mind. It is November 2024. The deadline to file is January 2024.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: And to be running and basically — not basically looking at the problems you have, we’ve got a runaway debt. People are dying from inflation.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN (Reporter): There’s an unsecured source of energy. Our border is not under control.

Are you saying that we are in the exact same league or ballpark? You’re wrong.

MARGARET BRENNAN

It’s clear that you don’t intend to run for President. Do you think that’s a good question? Who — who do you think…

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN : That was not what I said. I did not say anything.

I — the bottom line is, I will make my political decision in December, whatever it may be.

MARGARET BRENNAN: To run for president?

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: I’m not taking anything off the table, and I’m not put — and I’m not putting anything on the table.

I said I will make a decision in January — at this — at the end of this year.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You’ll make a decision at the end of this year as to…

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN (Simply that).

MARGARET BRENNAN: … as to who you will endorse for president?

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN: What my political future will be, what…

MARGARET BRENAN: Not for President.

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN : How I will get involved, what I will do.

I will be making — any decisions I make politically will not be done until the end of the year. Washington’s problems are what I want to fix. The politics are toxic. You can’t talk about the party or the candidate without making it worse.

Consider what is in front of you at this moment. Inflation is what you have. You’ve got, basically, energy. These are your unsecured frontiers. You’ve got geopolitical unrest. This is not the only thing we mean.

MARGARET BRENNAN: We are — we have a lot to talk about.

And, Senator Manchin, you’re welcome back.

(LAUGHTER)

MARGARET BRENNAN: We got to leave it there, because…

SENATOR JOE MANCHIN – I would love to see you again, Margaret.

“From Manchin Unloads On Democrats In Highlighting Problems With America Under Biden’s Leadership“

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