Corporate donors gave to Manchin before announcement he wouldn’t support Build Back Better: report

Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) political action committee saw a surge of contributions from corporate donors in the fall before his announcement that he would not support President Biden’s Build Back Better social spending package. 

Biden unveiled the $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act in October. 

According to CNBC’s analysis of Federal Election Commission filings, Manchin’s leadership PAC, Country Roads, received 36 donations from corporations in the last two months and raised close to $260,000 in that time period. 

In November, Country Roads PAC received corporate contributions in the range of $2,500 to $5,000 from donors including American Express, Goldman Sachs, Lockheed Martin, UnitedHealth Group, Blue Cross Blue Shield and CNX Resources, a natural gas company, last month, according to the news outlet.

The total amount raised last month amounted to $110,000. 

Manchin’s PAC raised over $150,000 in October from widely known corporations such as Verizon, Union Pacific, Wells Fargo and PACs tied to the coal and mining industries, according to CNBC. 

The news comes after Manchin announced on “Fox News Sunday” that he will not vote for Biden’s climate and social spending bill, most likely killing a crucial part of the administration’s domestic agenda and top legislative priority. 

“I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there,” Manchin told host Bret Baier. “This is a ‘no’ on this legislation.”

In a statement, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said that Manchin’s opposition was a surprise, adding that he went back on the framework that Biden presented to him last week. 

“If his comments on Fox and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the president and the senator’s colleagues in the House and Senate,” Psaki said. 

Many business groups and leaders have lobbied Manchin to oppose the social spending package, which includes provisions to combat climate change. Before announcing his opposition to the bill, Manchin came out against a number of these provisions.

Country Roads PAC also spent thousands of dollars on hotel arrangements and travel over the last two months, which includes spending more than $40,000 in November at The Greenbrier, a luxury resort that is owned by Gov. Jim Justice’s (R) family, CNBC reported. 

According to the FEC filing, the money was used for catering, lodging, food and beverages, CNBC noted. 

The Hill has reached out to Manchin’s office for comment.