Rep. Katie Porter took no prisoners: Schools ‘fiscally irresponsible’ Joe Manchin on $3.5T bill

California Congresswoman Katie Porter made a case for the $3.5 Trillion human infrastructure bill as she schooled Joe Manchin on fiscal responsibility.

Rep. Katie Porter has a message for Sen. Joe Manchin

Rep. Katie Porter did not hold back on those presenting obstacles to the vital $3.5 Trillion human infrastructure bill. It was clear that Stephanie Ruhle was surprised by her candor.

It was clear that a new talking point emerged from those who wanted to give the wealthy a pass. It is about paying back as little as possible to solve our real problems. Ruhle suggested that child care be made a standalone bill, a cut out from the human infrastructure bill.

Porter made note immediately that the standalone child care carve-out is a new crazy talking point.

“Let me be clear to the American people,” Katie Porter said. “Women and parents and childcare aren’t some special need. They are a building block of our budget and our economy.”

Porter pointed out all those who believe there is a glass ceiling for women. The bill helps mitigate that reality. She said it increases productivity and is a part of building back better.

Porter went on to school Manchin.

“If something costs ‘A,’ then you have two options,” Porter said.  “You can negotiate down from ‘A,’ or you can find the money. We have revenue options on the table. There are a huge number of corporations that pay zero taxes, and by making savvy revenue choices, for example, using a real corporate profit approach to dealing with those corporations that pay zero, we could generate 700 billion. If we use the corporate minimum tax approach, we’re going to generate 40 billion. Right there, Senator Manchin. Right there, anyone who’s worried about spending. We can generate the revenue so that this isn’t about $3.5 trillion in spending. It’s not even now about $3.5 trillion in spending because we’re going to generate the revenue to pay for these things. I have the will to do it. The question is, does Senator Manchin or is he more concerned about his corporate donors including large corporations, the oil and gas industry, the big pharmaceutical industry, and others who are getting away with paying nothing under our current tax system.”

Katie Porter then admonished Joe Manchin and his hypocrisy.

“I’m willing to talk to him about what we need to do to create a budget bill that meets his goal and his definition of being fiscally responsible,” Porter said. “I think it’s dead on fiscally irresponsible for Senator Manchin to refuse to raise revenue and at the same time out of the other side of his mouth, maybe the side of his mouth that he uses to talk to his corporate donors complain that we can’t pay for the things that American families desperately need.”

Well said.,