Manchin says Congress should pass infrastructure bill, not hold it 'hostage' with Build Back Better plan

Speaking to the press on Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., pushed for Congress to pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill, saying the body should "stop playing games with the American people in holding a critical infrastructure bill hostage" waiting to vote for it simultaneously with a Build Back Better bill.

Video transcript

- Well, I've worked hard to find a path to compromise, it's obvious, compromise is not good enough for a lot of my colleagues in Congress. It's all or nothing. And their position doesn't seem to change unless we agree to everything. Enough is enough.

It's time our elected leaders in Washington, all of us, stop playing games with the needs of the American people and holding a critical infrastructure bill hostage. While there's opportunity in the reconciliation at bill that we can all agree on. And we've been talking about this for months.

Again, to be clear, I will not support the reconciliation legislation without knowing how the bill will impact our debt and our economy and our country. And we won't know that until we work through the text. For the sake of our country, again, and I am urging all of my colleagues in the House to vote and pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill. It's bipartisan. 69 votes.

We worked on that for many, many months. And as I've said before, holding that bill hostage is not going to work to get my support of what you want. It's what we should all agree on and work through the process.

I'm open to supporting a final bill that helps move our country forward, but I am equally open to voting against the bill that hurts our country, and I've been very clear about that also. And most importantly, it hurts every American.

Let's work together. And I mean that. Let's all work together on getting a sensible reconciliation package. A package that really strengthens our nation and makes us better and leads the world. Thank you all.

[INTERPOSING VOICES]

Let me say one thing. I'm not going to negotiate in public on this because I've been dealing in good faith and I will continue to deal in good faith with all of my colleagues on both sides. It's time to pass the bill and quit playing games.