There has been "no sort of bipartisan discussion" on the Build Back Better Act, so its passage has been a "message of conformity or else," Rep. Michael Cloud told Newsmax on Tuesday.
"The fact is, this did not go through any sort of committee process," Cloud, R-Texas, said on "John Bachman Now," while discussing Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and his opposition to the Build Back Better Act.
The White House, thinking that things would proceed with the legislation, continued to bring the bill back to Manchin. However, the measure is "bad for the country," and not only because of its topline figure but because of what is in it, including the policy changes meant to revamp the economy and install more government control, Cloud said.
Manchin's opposition, which is being seen as a death knell for the bill, means a "very merry Christmas" for the rest of the United States, Cloud said.
Manchin, meanwhile, told a radio show in his home state this week that he only voted to move the process forward to allow a vote for the $3.5 trillion budget plan last summer was to stop former President Donald Trump's tax cut legislation.
"When it comes to the tax policy, I disagree with him," Cloud said. "I agree with him on the top line figures. This is way too much spending but you know, bringing back manufacturing, bringing jobs to the United States, is a big part of what we need to happen in our economy to get America strong again … when it comes to these tax cuts we need to keep America's middle class strong and we need to have jobs in order to do that."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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