Manchin undercuts Biden, leaving his agenda in limbo

Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) stunned fellow Democrats on Sunday by announcing he would not vote for President Biden’s ambitious climate and social spending bill, which his allies saw as the crowning legislative achievement of his first term.

Biden’s plans to address global warming and wealth inequality will now have to be substantially reworked if they are to become law, with many of his policy proposals potentially shelved in order to get Manchin’s vote.

Manchin’s warning Sunday that the Build Back Better bill would fuel inflation and risk American energy independence means that Democrats may have to narrow their focus to only a few priorities, such as the expanded child tax credit, and dramatically pare back spending and incentives for green energy.

White House chief of staff Ron Klain on Sunday retweeted a statement by New Democrat Coalition Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) calling for negotiators to prioritize fewer reforms and enact them for more years.

“We believe that adopting such an approach could open a potential path forward with this legislation,” she said.

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) informed colleagues in a letter Monday morning that he will keep scheduling votes on Build Back Better until some version of the bill passes the Senate.