Sen. Joe Manchin’s political action committee reportedly received a slush of donations from corporations totaling close to $260,000 before his announcement that he would not support President Biden’s Build Back Better social spending package, according to a CNBC’s analysis of Federal Election Commission filings.
Citing the FEC filings, CNBC reported that in November, Manchin’s Country Roads PAC received 36 corporate contributions in the range of $2,500 to $5,000 from donors including American Express, Goldman Sachs, Lockheed Martin, UnitedHealth Group, Blue Cross Blue Shield and CNX Resources, a natural gas company.
Manchin’s PAC also raised over $150,000 in October from widely known corporations such as Verizon, Union Pacific, Wells Fargo and PACs tied to the coal and mining industries, according to the news outlet.
As noted by The Hill, Many business groups and leaders have lobbied Manchin to oppose the social spending package, which includes provisions to combat climate change. Before announcing his opposition to the bill, Manchin came out against a number of these provisions.
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The revelation comes after Manchin announced on “Fox News Sunday” that he will not vote for Biden’s climate and social spending bill, most likely killing a crucial part of the administration’s domestic agenda and top legislative priority.
“I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there,” Manchin told host Bret Baier. “This is a ‘no’ on this legislation.”
In a statement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that Manchin’s opposition was a surprise, adding that he went back on the framework that Biden presented to him last week.
“If his comments on Fox and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the president and the senator’s colleagues in the House and Senate,” Psaki said.
