According to a report by the HuffPost, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin allegedly told co-workers in the Senate that low-income people waste the money in the Build Back Better plan.
In the report, Manchin reportedly told people that parents who receive the $300 per child would spend that money on drugs.
Manchin also reportedly told fellow Senators that he was against the bill’s paid sick leave because people would lie about their illness for hunting trips.
According to Yahoo, someone close to Manchin said Manchin had concerns about grandparents taking care of children whose parents struggle with addiction and that the caretakers would not qualify for the child tax credit.
On Monday, Manchin was on the “Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval,” and expressed his feeling on grandparents and their access to the payments.
“We have children that are now living with grandparents, and really to the assistance that we give to the welfare system, don’t you think we can basically target that child?” he said. “Make sure the money follows the child so if a grandparent’s raising the child, they’re getting the money and not the parent — even though they’re biological parents who are not capable or not having the desire to raise that child.”
Manchin said on Sunday he would vote no for Build Back Better plan
“If I can’t go home and explain it to the people of West Virginia, I can’t vote for it,” Manchin told Fox News in a Sunday interview. “I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there. This is a no.”
