Matt Bush, FISM News

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President Biden still insists that he and Senator Joe Manchin will “get something done” on the Build Back Better (BBB) plan. Just days after Manchin made it clear that he would not vote for the bill in its current state, the president seems intent on doing whatever he can to save the key piece of his domestic agenda.

Manchin effectively torpedoed the bill when he announced on Fox News that he could not vote for the bill after stating, “I’ve done everything humanly possible” to try. 

Manchin’s revelation initially outraged the White House. Right after Manchin’s announcement, the White House released a statement accusing Manchin of an inexplicable reversal in his position.

Soon after that statement was released, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “If his comments on Fox and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position and a breach of his commitments to the president and the senator’s colleagues in the House and Senate. Just as Senator Manchin reversed his position on Build Back Better this morning, 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.”

After the initial reaction of anger and name-calling, the White House took a more cordial approach and walked back their words. In a rare impromptu press conference, Biden was asked directly about whether or not Manchin broke his commitment to vote for BBB. Biden responded, “Senator Manchin and I are going to get something done.”

This was a reversal from the White House’s initial statement and from what Psaki had been saying to that point. Biden went on to say, “Some people think maybe I’m not Irish because I don’t hold a grudge, but I want to get things done. I still think there’s a possibility of getting Build Back Better done.” 

However, just when it looked like Biden was trying to mend fences, he needled the West Virginia senator again. Biden told reporters, according to CNN, that he had been told that “[Manchin] was speaking to the liberal caucus in the House and said, ‘Joe Biden didn’t mislead you, I [Manchin] misled you.'” It is unclear what meeting Biden was referring to.

As often happens when Biden holds an impromptu press conference, the White House tried to clean up Biden’s comment about Manchin. Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement, “The President was underlining that constructive and respectful conversations are happening in good faith between himself, Senator Manchin, and other lawmakers. However, the President wanted to clarify that Senator Manchin did not characterize himself as having been ‘misleading.'”

There is a lot riding on Biden passing the BBB legislation, and it looks like his relationship with Manchin continues to deteriorate as time drags on. Manchin has blamed the White House for the failed negotiations and the White House clearly blames Manchin.

While Republicans sit back and watch the Democratic party remain unable to pass their key legislation, Mitch McConnell went on the offensive, inviting Manchin to join their ranks. McConnell said, “Democrats want to call Manchin a liar and embarrass him” and that he would be more comfortable on the other side of the aisle. 

While the notion may be far-fetched, if it were to happen it would give Republicans control of the Senate. In the meantime, Democrats continue to demonize Manchin’s opposition to their progressive agenda while also calling for his vote. Manchin continues to wield all the power when it comes to the passage of BBB and FISM will continue to follow any developments as they come to light.