Democrat Joe Manchin definitively said on Sunday he is a ‘no’ on President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better social spending agenda after Chuck Schumer pushed a vote on the legislation until after the New Year.
‘I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation,’ the West Virginia Democratic senator said on Fox News Sunday.
‘I just can’t,’ he continued. ‘I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.’
Manchin said: ‘This is a no.’
The senator told Fox News host Bret Baier: ‘This is a mammoth piece of legislation and I had my reservations from the beginning when I heard about it five-and-a-half months ago.’
Democrats and progressives as you can imagine were immediately furious at Manchin for coming out against the legislation in full.
Manchin, who along with Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have forced Biden to chip away at the bill’s original crazy $3.5 trillion price tag, reportedly didn’t agree with using the legislation’s 10-year financing scheme to fund a one-year extension of the child tax credit.
But with his topline firmly set at $1.7, a longer extension would have only been possible if Democrats agreed to scuttle certain programs altogether.
Manchin snapped on Wednesday after reports his opposition to the Child Tax Credit killed Biden’s hopes for the Senate to pass the president’s signature Build Back Better bill by Christmas.
‘This is b******t. You’re b******t,’ the West Virginia senator yelled at a reporter who asked him about reports that the child tax credit has become a major sticking point in his talks with the White House.
‘I’m done, I’m done,’ Manchin fumed as the questions continued.
‘Guys, I’m not negotiating with any of you all. You can ask all the questions you want. Guys, let me go,’ he told the press as he walked through the basement of the Capitol, muttering ‘God almighty’ as he walked away.
Manchin is taking the blame from Democrats for the failure to move forward on Biden’s signature legislation.
The moderate Democrat has refused to support the BBB bill as it stands and, in a 50-50 split Senate, the president needs every single Democratic vote to get his agenda through.
