Manchin, Sinema Saved Biden, Democrats From Themselves

While Democrat Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona were eviscerated by the progressive wing of their party for blocking President Joe Biden's pricey "Build Back Better" spending spree last year, economists now largely agree that the duo's resilient resistance likely saved a country beset by skyrocketing inflation from an even worse fate.

As the cost of gas, food, and household items jumped again in May – bringing inflation to a new four-decade high – experts say the 8.6% inflation rate would be far higher if even the slimmed down $2.2 trillion Build Back Better Act had passed. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the actual cost of the bill would total more than $5 trillion if certain programs in the plan were to be made permanent.