Biden's COVID advisors criticized by Manchin

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin criticized the advice President Biden received while in office, stating that it resulted in the president being unaware of issues related to inflation, immigration, and Afghanistan.

On "The Takeout" podcast on Friday, Manchin shared how he attempted to persuade Biden to collaborate with Republicans on the American Rescue Plan and cautioned about the risks of inflation if Democrats decided to prolong unemployment benefits until October 2021. However, his warnings were disregarded due to the counsel of 17 Nobel laureates.

"Manchin later argued that the 17 Nobel laureates were "17 educated idiots" who were telling Biden what he wanted to hear because he paid them, despite his earlier warning that he would face criticism for their input."

In the early days of Biden's administration, Manchin, a Democrat, played a crucial role in shaping the amount of the new president's agenda that would pass through the Senate.

Throughout Biden's term, Democrats maintained a narrow edge in the Senate, relying on Vice President Harris' tie-breaking vote to push through their agenda. As a result, the cooperation of moderate West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin was crucial in passing many bills.

After a long political career in the Democratic Party, Manchin ultimately decided not to seek re-election and left the party, stating that he had to remain "true" to himself.

In a May 2024 announcement, Manchin declared that he would remain committed to putting country before party by registering as an independent with no party affiliation and continuing to fight for America's sensible majority.

In his interview with CBS, Manchin stated that Congress collaborated with the Trump administration to distribute stimulus checks during the early pandemic lockdowns. However, he admitted that they made a mistake by overestimating the need for economic stimulus and later realized that their actions were not necessary.

Biden promptly initiated the budget reconciliation process to push the American Rescue Plan through the Senate, which Manchin opposed at the time.

Manchin stated that he had previously stopped for around eight to ten hours due to the extension of unemployment benefits and the availability of a successful vaccine. He informed him at the time that there was a working vaccine and people had financial stability due to the checks sent to everyone. Additionally, Manchin warned that after several months of lockdowns and multiple rounds of stimulus, American spending would likely cause inflation in the economy.

"Manchin stated that the combination of inflation and the extension of unemployment benefits until October 2021 creates a perfect storm that keeps people out of the workforce."