On Sunday, Joe Manchin, Democratic Senator of West Virginia, said that he couldn’t support Biden’s signature $2 trillion environmental and social package, effectively ending talks on this version of lawmaking that would expand the social safety net of the country. The senator has always been a critical holdout for the bill, sharing worries regarding some necessities of the spending bill and the massive tax and how it may worsen mounting inflation in the country.
On Fox News Sunday, he announced that he couldn’t vote to continue with the Democratic legislation. This is a no on the Build Back Better. Further, he added that President Biden worked diligently, and he felt wonderful to work under his administration. The government should be directing the attention towards the Omicron variant, a Coronavirus that is coming back at Americans in several different features in different ways.
(Bloomberg) — Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lowered its forecast for U.S. economic growth after Senator Joe Manchin said Sunday he won’t support the $2 trillion tax-and-spending plan that’s the heart of President Joe Biden’s economic agenda.
— Josh Wingrove (@josh_wingrove) December 20, 2021
The support of Manchin for the Biden bill – around $2 trillion spending package focused on growing the social safety net of the country, cutting healthcare and childcare costs of Americans. Moreover, climate change is necessary for Democratic leaders to approve this legislation using a procedure called budget reconciliation, meaning it would just require fifty-one votes to pass.
Manchin Officially Announced to Oppose Biden’s Agenda
Manchin also reiterated not to back the legislation in a statement his office released after the interview. His statement read that if he can’t go back home and explain the move, he can’t vote for it. So, despite his best efforts, he can’t explain Biden’s sweeping Build Back Better Act in West Virginia, and he can’t vote to go ahead with this mammoth piece of legislation.
A source familiar with the recent talks between the U.S. President Joe Biden and Senator Manchin told CNN that it was clear that the senator headed in this direction as the president privately told his aides this week. He was no more confident he might finally get Manchin on board. However, White House officials surprised with the final decision of the West Virginia Democrat.
Source: Web
According to the source, their reaction was obviously not possible. Furthermore, one senior official told CNN that it was ultimately a surprise. So, finally, Biden learned his top negotiating partner was putting a stop to White House aides, who didn’t hear the news directly from Manchin but a staff member around half an hour before he went on air.
According to a senior government official, the senator wouldn’t take a call from the White House officials who tried to approach him Sunday morning. Initially, Politico reported about the attempt of the White House to reach Manchin to get him to reconsider his decision. In response to criticism from progressive leaders that the West Virginia senator was holding up the bill Because he was not supportive, he expressed holding a vote for the legislative. Previously, Manchin raised several concerns regarding the bill, which was approved by the House last month.
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