Sen. Joe Manchin told reporters Tuesday he’s not working with the White House to find a path forward on Build Back Better, once a top Democratic priority that now appears hopelessly stalled thanks to Manchin’s opposition.
“There’s no negotiations going on at this time,” the West Virginia Democrat told reporters gathered near his Senate office Tuesday afternoon.
Manchin announced last month he would not vote for the $2.4 trillion social welfare and green energy bill, arguing it was too costly and was packed with provisions that would hurt the economy and weaken the workforce.
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Democrats and Biden said they planned to continue working with Manchin to negotiate a bill he will approve, but nothing is happening so far, Manchin said.
“I’ve never turned down talks with anybody,” Manchin told reporters. “I was very clear on where I stand, and I thought it was time to do that.”
Manchin said he’s never altered his opposition to the bill after months of negotiating with Democrats and the White House.
“But to just continue on and on as we have for five-and-a-half months, I haven’t changed from the first day I talked to leadership. Everyone’s been working I think in the best good faith they possibly can. I’ve just had a very difficult time, and understanding where we are and where our country is and the concerns I have.”
Manchin cited the nation’s high inflation rate and unemployment numbers as well as global geopolitical unrest as more pressing concerns for the White House.
Build Back Better was to serve as the crown jewel of the Biden and Democratic Party economic agenda but is now stalled perhaps indefinitely.
Manchin opposes the high cost as well as several key provisions, including green energy policies favoring renewable energy and the recurring child tax payment, which he believes should come with a work requirement.
Without Build Back Better on the docket, Democrats have decided to pivot to changing the Senate filibuster rules in order to allow them to pass a bill that would overhaul voting laws.
They’ll need Manchin’s support to make the change. Another Democrat, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, is also a holdout on eliminating the filibuster.
Manchin said he’s in talks with fellow Democrats on changing the rules but told reporters Monday it should include support from the GOP, which is highly unlikely.
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“I think that for us to go it alone, no matter what side does it, ends up coming back at you pretty hard,” Manchin said.
Democrats will huddle Tuesday to discuss plans to try to end or suspend temporarily the filibuster in order to pass the voting overhaul bill, which is aimed at stopping red-state voter integrity laws that the Democrats say will impede access to the polls.
