WASHINGTON – Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) has cited the Penn Wharton Budget Model as an authority on the cost of various Build Back Better iterations to justify not supporting them, but now that he’s chosen to back Senator Schumer and President Biden’s massive tax hike, he says the University of Pennsylvania’s conclusion that the bill will have little impact on rising inflation is wrong:

YESTERDAY: “I respectfully disagree with the people from Penn Wharton.” (“State of the Union,” CNN, 7/31/2022)

• LAST YEAR: “Manchin has been consulting with Penn Wharton experts throughout the process and trusts the model.“(“Manchin’s $3.9 trillion pause,” Axios, 11/1/2021)
  • “That’s because while there are many economic analyses of the bill out there, the PWBM has proven influential with one particularly important audience: Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.), who takes its findings seriously, according to people familiar with the matter.” (“West Wing Playbook,” Politico, 11/9/2021)