Schumer's Signature on Secret, Leaked Agreement Shows Democrats Even Dishonest with Each Other

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin is one of the most powerful men in Washington, and even Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has had to acknowledge Manchin's pivotal role as a centrist standing against the progressive agenda.

A document from late July shows Schumer's signature on an agreement with Manchin laying out the terms in which the West Virginia senator would vote "Yes" on for this fiscal year's budget and President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" plan.

The fact that the document - titled "Agreement to Start Budget Resolution" - was signed out of public sight in July, and kept under wraps until it was leaked last week, shows Schumer hasn't even been honest with members of his own party as negotiations have lurched forward.

The document states that Manchin's limit on a budget would be $1.5 trillion, a far cry from the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill currently backed by the majority of Democrats.

"A spokesperson for Schumer sought to downplay the significance of the document their boss signed, saying the senator 'never agreed to any of the conditions Sen. Manchin laid out; he merely acknowledged where Sen. Manchin was on the subject at the time.'".

"Still, Schumer kept many of his members in the dark about the existence of the document, which stayed secret for over two months as lawmakers pressed forward with expectations of a larger bill that included many progressive priorities. Schumer even kept members of his leadership team out of the loop."

Liberal Democrats may despise moderates like Manchin at the moment, but they are ultimately standing strong for common sense in the 117th U.S. Congress.

https://thefederalistpapers.org/us/schumers-signature-secret-leaked-agreement-shows-dems-even-dishonest