Joe Manchin Joins Republicans To Place Corporate Profits Over Job Creation

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin says that he isn't comfortable paying for infrastructure improvements by taxing corporations at 28% (well below what they were paying prior to the 2017 tax cuts) and he wants that tax increase to be lowered. He claims to have "six or seven" Democrats on his side, showing that both Republicans and Democrats are willing to torpedo an initiative that would have created thousands of jobs just to protect corporate profits. Farron Cousins discusses this.

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*This transcript was auto-generated. Please excuse any typos.

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin said early this week that he has quote six or seven Democrats who are with him in opposition to the bonding mechanism for Joe Biden's very ambitious, $2 trillion infrastructure plan. Um, so Joe mansion, along with these alleged six or seven Democrats, he swears he has, are now teaming up with all 50 Republicans to oppose $2 trillion worth of infrastructure investment here in the United States. Here's the thing though, whether or not Joe Manchin actually has these six or seven little corporate minions from the democratic side with him is irrelevant because Joe Manchin alone siding with 100% of Republicans, according to Mitch McConnell means that this is dead in less. We bow down to Joe mansions demands. So what are Joe mansions demands? Well, one of the funding mechanisms for this $2 trillion plan is to raise taxes on corporations, uh, up to 28%, which is still by the way, well below where they were prior to the 2017 Republican tax cut, which at the time, right before the tax cut corporations were taxed at 35%, then it dropped all the way down to the low twenties to fund infrastructure.

One of the mechanisms is raise it back up to 28. So we're still below where they were in 2017, but Joe Manchin says, uh, no, no, no, no, no. You got to get past me fools. And I want you to drop that down to 25%. That's what I want. Just arbitrarily saying, Nope, cut back 3% on that particular funding mechanism, by the way, the other funding mechanism is raising taxes on individuals who make more than $400,000 per year. Um, so that's where we are. Joe Manchin is playing hard ball. And I think Jordan Chariton said it best on Twitter. Uh, when he said, who knew that 20 something Democrats were running in the primary, but it was actually Joe Manchin that apparently one in 2020, because it's really starting to feel that way. Isn't it? Every single ambitious good thing Democrats want to do, Joe Manchin stands in the way, Oh, we can't have a minimum wage hike because Joe Manchin doesn't think it's good enough.

He thinks there's too much money for people. Oh, we can't have an infrastructure investments. Something this country has been needing for decades because Joe Manchin doesn't want corporations to pay more in taxes. This is getting absurd. What this sob is doing, unless to be honest, that's what this guy is. He's a POS sob, you know, pick, pick your favorite profanity of what you want to call Joe Manchin. And he fits the bill folks. But this is disgusting. United States has been desperate for infrastructure for so long that I used to do segments about it on ring of fire with Mike Papantonio during the Bush administration. That's how long our infrastructure has been failing here in the United States. And I actually went on TYT last week with Ana Kasparian to talk about this issue. And I talked about the fact, this obviously is not enough. We need a bigger infrastructure package, but it's a really great start.

You know, doing a little is better than doing nothing. And it does have investments in renewable energy and renewing the energy grid to make it ready for renewable energy. It invests in roads and bridges and building new schools that are dilapidated across the country. But to put it in other way, the way I like to frame this, this is a job creation program, $2 trillion, an investment in infrastructure. Where do you think all the labor comes from American citizens, human beings, right? We're the ones who have to go out there and build those things. Those are jobs we're talking about, but Joe Manchin says, screw it to hell with it. Let's forego creating thousands of jobs because I think corporations should pay 3% less in taxes at a time when a report that just came out two days ago says that 55 of the most profitable companies here in the United States paid zero income tax zero and Joe Manchin thinks 28% is too much in exchange for thousands of American jobs in exchange for finally making our infrastructure less dead. Sadly, Joe Manchin would rather save corporations a couple of dollars.