Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), the upper chamber's king of the swing vote, remains optimistic about striking a bipartisan infrastructure agreement. He just isn't sure why everyone is in such a rush, dismissing the unofficial Memorial Day negotiation deadline, Politico reports.
"This is the long game, it's not a short game," Manchin, who is a vocal proponent of working with Republicans and is opposed to the idea of passing an infrastructure package through the reconciliation process, told reporters Tuesday, per Politico. "Now all of a sudden everything has to be done within 30 days, or two weeks, or a week. The Senate is very deliberate."
He went on to suggest that the media was painting a bleak picture of the talks, which he doesn't believe are all that bleak. "We're meeting," he said. "We're going to get a bill. I think you're basically trying to seed dissent. I think we're going to be fine guys, I really do. I think we're going down the path." Read more at Politico.