Sen. Joe Manchin, one of the lawmakers working on a $900 billion bipartisan compromise bill for coronavirus relief, said Wednesday that he believes legislation will be approved before a Friday deadline and that the bill could include more direct payment checks to Americans in lieu of money for states or municipalities.
The West Virginia Democrat also admitted on CNN's "New Day" that in retrospect, he "absolutely" wishes Democrats had worked with President Donald Trump in October when he proposed a $1.8 trillion package.
"The gridlock was how much money," Manchin said. "The Republicans were stuck in the $500 billion range. We knew that was not enough and the Democrats were wanting a minimum of $1.2-$1.3 trillion. We all know by economic reports that we needed that much more, but that wasn't to be had. So we had to break that logjam."
With Trump's plan, Manchin said he's always looking for a deal, but that takes compromise.
"If you want to hold your position, then basically you get nothing done," said the senator. "We've seen the stalemate."
On Tuesday, negotiations on the relief package intensified, with the four top leaders of Congress meeting twice to finalize an agreement that will restore paycheck protection, fund vaccine distributions and schools, and restore jobless benefits.
Manchin said he thinks the bill will remain in the $900 billion range, and state and local funding might not be included.
"I'm understanding that it could be maybe some direct payments in lieu of state and local," said Manchin. "I know it wouldn't be more than $1,200 but I think it will be in the probably $500, $600 range to try to help through these most difficult times. That would be my guess ... this is the conversation we've been hearing for the last day or so."
The bill will also "absolutely" include money for vaccine distribution, said Manchin, and he believes the negotiators may have even increased the amount beyond the $16 billion the bipartisan group proposed.
"There won't be any problem getting the money we need for vaccines so people will have the vaccine they need to protect themselves and get our economy moving and get their lives back to normal," he said.
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.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.