Sen. Manchin expresses support for targeted COVID-19 relief
CHARLESTON, WV – NOVEMBER 06: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV). (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 3:15 PM PT – Sunday, January 10, 2021
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) appears to favor providing targeted stimulus relief for Americans rather than sending out $2,000 checks.
In an interview on Sunday, Manchin declined to say if he would back $2,000 checks, but did state he is on board with helping people who don’t have a job and are struggling to put food on the table.
PHILADELPHIA – MAY 8: Economic stimulus checks are prepared for printing at the Philadelphia Financial Center. (Photo by Jeff Fusco/Getty Images)
The West Virginia lawmaker also spoke out against sending relief money to people who don’t need it right now. Manchin stressed lawmakers must focus on helping those who need it most.
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 09: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) answers questions at the U.S. Capitol on July 09, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“It’s time now to target where the money goes…I have people in West Virginia that can’t go back to work because there’s not a job to go to,” Manchin stated. “I have businesses that can’t open up. Don’t you think that we should be helping them first? Why can’t we just do something that basically puts people back to work? Infrastructure. You want to spend $2 or $3 trillion, invest it in infrastructure.”
The moderate Democrat — whose party is poised to take control of the Senate later this month — also notably said he does not support eliminating the legislative filibuster.