President Biden issued a stark warning to Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., during a phone call ahead of a critical vote on his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 stimulus package last March, according to an excerpt from a new book by veteran Washington Post journalists Bob Woodward and Robert Costa.
The phone call reportedly took place on March 5, one day before the Senate lawmakers voted on whether to approve Biden’s “American Rescue Plan.” At the time, Manchin, a moderate Democrat, was considered a key roadblock after he voiced concerns about the scope of unemployment benefits in the relief package.
“If you don’t come along, you’re really f—ing me,” Biden said during the call, according to the book, which was excerpted by the Post.
