据三位知情人士透露，弗吉尼亚州民主党参议员乔·曼钦(Joe Manchin)私下质疑父母是否会滥用儿童税收抵免付款购买药物。
消息人士告诉美国广播公司新闻，曼钦最近几个月私下向同事和国会山的其他人详细说明了他的担忧。
私下讨论进一步凸显了保守的民主党人和他的政党的大多数人在一个受欢迎的项目上的明显分歧，白宫将其吹捧为乔·拜登总统在民主党控制的国会中的主要成就之一。
周日在福克斯新闻频道的一次露面中，曼钦表示反对白宫目前拟定的1.75万亿美元的社会政策计划，这实际上结束了众议院通过的法案的谈判，民主党人最初希望该法案在圣诞节前签署成为法律。
该提议包括延长儿童税收抵免计划，以及带薪探亲假、扩大奥巴马医改覆盖面以及为教育和应对气候变化提供资金。儿童税收抵免计划可能在12月15日最后一次支付后于1月份到期。
“我不能投票推动这项庞大的立法，”他在周日的一份声明中表示。“我在华盛顿的民主党同事决心大幅重塑我们的社会，让我们的国家更容易受到我们面临的威胁。我不能冒这个风险，因为我背负着超过29万亿美元的巨额债务和通胀税，而这些税对每一个辛勤工作的美国人来说都是真实的、有害的，包括汽油泵、杂货店和看不到尽头的公用事业账单。”
在白宫的回应中，新闻秘书珍·普萨基指责曼钦在上周向拜登提交了社会政策和支出计划的潜在框架后，在与总统的谈判中退缩了。
“曼钦参议员承诺在未来几天继续对话，并与我们一起努力达成共识。如果他对福克斯的评论和书面声明表明这一努力已经结束，这意味着他的立场突然发生了令人费解的逆转，违背了他对总统和参议员在众议院和参议院的同事们的承诺，”普萨基说。
据两位知情人士透露，曼钦在私下谈话中还表示，他认为美国人会利用带薪探亲假在猎鹿季节去打猎，尤其是在他的家乡西弗吉尼亚州。《赫芬顿邮报》首次报道了这两种言论。
那些听到这些评论的人向美国广播公司新闻直接表达了他们的愤怒和不安。
“参议员曼钦已经明确表示，他支持儿童税收抵免，并认为这笔钱应该针对最需要的人。他还表示支持带薪休假计划，该计划有一个专门的、可持续的资助机制，”曼钦办公室的一名女发言人告诉美国广播公司新闻。
据两位知情人士透露，拜登和曼钦周日在曼钦就福克斯新闻频道问题发表讲话后进行了交谈。
白宫和曼钦办公室拒绝置评。
Sen. Joe Manchin suggests Child Tax Credit payments would be used to buy drugs
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., privately questioned whether parents would misuse Child Tax Credit payments to buy drugs, according to three sources familiar with his comments.
Sources tell ABC News Manchin detailed his concerns privately to colleagues and others on Capitol Hill in recent months.
The private discussions further highlight the stark disagreements between the conservative Democrat and most of his party over a popular program the White House has touted as one of President Joe Biden's major accomplishments with a Democratically-controlled Congress.
On a Sunday Fox News appearance, Manchin signaled opposition to the White House's $1.75 trillion social policy plan as currently written, effectively ending negotiations over the House-passed bill that Democrats had initially hoped to get signed into law before Christmas.
That proposal included an extension to the Child Tax Credit program -- which will likely lapse in January after the last payments on Dec. 15 -- along with paid family leave, an expansion of Obamacare coverage and funding for education and combating climate change.
"I cannot vote to move forward on this mammoth piece of legislation," he said in a statement Sunday. "My Democratic colleagues in Washington are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face. I cannot take that risk with a staggering debt of more than $29 trillion and inflation taxes that are real and harmful to every hard-working American at the gasoline pumps, grocery stores and utility bills with no end in sight."
In a response from the White House, press secretary Jen Psaki accused Manchin of backtracking in negotiations with the president after submitting to Biden last week a potential framework for the social policy and spending plan.
"Senator Manchin promised to continue conversations in the days ahead and to work with us to reach that common ground. 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.
In private conversations, Manchin also said he believed paid family leave would be exploited by Americans to go hunting during deer season -- particularly in his home state of West Virginia, according to two separate sources familiar with the comments. Both remarks were first reported by the Huffington Post.
Those who heard these comments firsthand expressed outrage and discomfort over them to ABC News.
"Senator Manchin has made clear he supports the Child Tax Credit and believes the money should be targeted to those who need it most. He has also expressed support for a paid leave program that has a dedicated, sustainable funding mechanism," a spokeswoman for Manchin's office told ABC News.
Biden and Manchin spoke Sunday after Manchin's remarks on Fox News, according to two sources familiar with what was described as a cordial conversation.
The White House and Manchin's office declined to comment.
