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West Virginia moderate Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin is furious with the White House and the Democrat leadership after the way he has been treated by them after he decided to not support the Build Back Better agenda.
Biden and Manchin met last week to discuss the Build Back Better agenda and it was believed they would talk again, but then things changed, Politico reported.
White House staff had given Manchin a heads-up on Thursday that the president was soon to put out a statement accepting a delay in the Build Back Better Act and that it was going to mention the West Virginia senator by name. Manchin objected, asking that either his name be left out or that he not be alone because his family had already been the target of abuse and he didn’t want to be singled out.
But the statement went out anyway, and contained only Manchin’s name. The senator then snapped at White House aides and told them that he was done negotiating. The West Wing interpreted that as meaning that current talks were done but could pick up again next year.
But Manchin meant that he was totally walking away — which he said publicly a few days later on Fox News Sunday, in a move that blindsided and outraged the White House.
The senator appeared on “Fox News Sunday” and dropped the bombshell that he would not support the Build Back Better plan.
“I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation, I just can’t. I tried everything humanly possible, I can’t get there” he said to host Bret Baier who was on after former host Chris Wallace stepped away from the show last week.
“You’re done – this is a no,” the host said.
“This is a no, on this legislation,” the senator said. “I have tried everything I know to do.”
“This is a no on this legislation. I have tried everything I know to do. And the President has worked diligently. He’s been wonderful to work with. He knows I’ve had concerns and the problems I’ve had and and, you know, the thing that we should all be directing our attention towards the variant, a Covid that we have coming back at us in so many different aspects in different ways, it’s affecting our lives again,” he said.
His statement essentially ends any chance of the massive social spending bill being passed.
He cited inflation and the deficit as two of the reasons he cannot vote for a bill that spends more than $1 trillion on social spending.
“When you have these things coming at you the way they are right now, I’ve always said this, Bret, if I can’t go home to the people of West Virginia, I can’t vote for it,” the senator said.
He confirmed that he is “done” on this legislation.
After that statement, the progressive Democrats went on the attack against Sen. Manchin.
Vermont Progressive Democratic Sen. Bernie Sanders appeared on the CNN Sunday show “State of the Union” and was furious with Sen. Manchin.
“I think he’s going to have a lot of explaining to do to the people of West Virginia” and calling on Democrats to put the bill to a floor vote to pressure Manchin into voting no on the record,” he said.
“I hope that we will bring a strong bill to the floor of the Senate as soon as we can and let Mr. Manchin explain to the people of West Virginia why he doesn’t have the guts to stand up to the powerful special interests,” he said.
“If he doesn’t have the courage to do the right thing for the working families of West Virginia and America, let him vote no in front of the whole world,” the senator said.
Washington Democrat Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, posted a press release on her website in which she also tore into Sen. Manchin.
“Senator Joe Manchin made a promise to President Biden to support a framework that would help lower health care costs, cap the price of insulin and other prescription drugs, lower child care costs for Americans, address the climate crisis, and give working people and poor people a shot in America. Today, Senator Manchin has betrayed his commitment not only to the President and Democrats in Congress but most importantly, to the American people. He routinely touts that he is a man of his word, but he can no longer say that. West Virginians, and the country, see clearly who he is,” the Congresswoman said.
“The American people want and deserve to have their critically important daily needs addressed. That is why all the elements of the Build Back Better legislation are overwhelmingly supported by Americans across the political spectrum. We will never stop fighting to truly build back better for the American people. Too much is at stake,” she said.
But there is one place where Sen. Manchin would be welcome.
“I don’t know if Joe [Manchin] will ever become a Republican but I can tell you this for sure, the moderates are gone,” Republican Senate Minority Leader and Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell said on Guy Benson’s show on Monday.
“There are two left in the Senate – two moderates out of 50,’ McConnell said, referencing Manchin and Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema from Arizona. ‘There were more moderate Democrats when Barack Obama was president than there are today.,” he said.
