US President Joe Biden appeared optimistic on reaching a settlement with Senator Joe Manchin, the holdout Democrat who effectively tanked the party's signature $2 trillion Build Back Better plan (BBB), saying that the two are "going to get something done". The Democrats' ambitious plan to pour billions of dollars into child care, health care and other services would be crucial for the mid-term polls next year.
The West Virginia Senator Manchin's announcement potentially derails not only Biden's Build Back Better Act, but sparks fresh questions over passing voting rights legislation and potentially other significant bills that would require his vote in the 50-50 US Senate. Republicans heralded Manchin for a maverick move. But, progressive Democrats mercilessly portrayed Manchin as a deal-breaker who failed to keep his word, and even moderates heaped on criticism after months of talks.
Whether Manchin, a lifelong Democrat, is making a definitive break from his party also became part of the discussion.
"We knew he would do this," tweeted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state, a leader of House progressives, said Manchin can no longer say he is a man of his word. "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," said Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont who chairs the Budget Committee, said on CNN.
With Congress recessed for the Christmas holidays, the next steps are highly uncertain. Some Democrats insisted on recalling the Senate to session to force a vote, though that appeared unlikely. Others were fast at work trying to win back Manchin's support and pick up the pieces of what one aide compared to a jigsaw puzzle tossed on the floor. Biden's reputation as a seasoned deal-maker hung in balance.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried to strike an optimistic chord, assuring House Democrats and others that an agreement could still be reached early in the new year. Rather than denouncing Manchin her statement Sunday night didn't mention him by name Pelosi encouraged members of her caucus to highlight the measure's impact on constituents while barnstorming the nation in the weeks ahead. "It is imperative that American families know how this once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure will improve their lives," Pelosi said.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki unleashed an unusually hardball response to a lawmaker had been personally courted by the president, and whose vote is crucial. "We will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word," Psaki said.
