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Over the weekend, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin publicly announced that he would not be supporting US President Joe Biden’s social and climate infrastructure proposal. During an interview, Vice President Kamala Harris weighed in on Manchin’s announcement but refused to get caught up in a ‘personal’ conflict with the Democratic senator.
Speaking on CBS News, Harris maintained that the Democratic Party is determined to see the Build Back Better bill pass Congress. When it came to Manchin’s opposition, Harris explained that there is a lot at stake for the dispute to be centered on one person. The vice president noted that the public would rather see results in the passage of the bill rather than the politics of Washington.
“I don’t have any personal feelings about this,” said Harris. “This is about let’s get the job done. Let’s get it done. I refuse to get caught up in the what might be personal politics. The people who are waking up at three o’clock in the morning worried about how they’re going to get by, they could care less about the politics of DC.”
“Let’s talk with families who say I can’t afford to do the basic things that I need to do as a responsible adult, like care for my children, care for my older parents, or afford to get life-saving medication like insulin,” Harris continued.
When pressed on how the Democratic caucus could be able to pass the bill without Manchin’s support, Harris maintained that the caucus would continue to fight for its passage.
During the interview, Harris also commented on the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Harris said that the US will be prepared to impose sanctions on Russia if President Vladimir Putin decides to carry out an invasion. While Harris did not specify what kind of sanctions the US will impose that will target Putin directly, the vice president explained that the US is in direct talks with Russia regarding the situation.
“We are very clear that Russia should not invade the sovereignty of Ukraine, that we must stand up – and we are standing up – for its territorial integrity,” said Harris. “We are working with our allies in that regard, and we’ve been very clear that we are prepared to issue sanctions like you’ve not seen before.”
