Sen. Manchin on Build Back Better: ‘This is a no’

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 10:36 AM PT – Sunday, December 19, 2021

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said he’s a hard no on the Build Back Better spending bill.

In an interview on Sunday, the Democrat senator said there’s no way he could support the $1.75 trillion package with current obstacles like inflation, the national debt and geopolitical unrest. Manchin said he has gone to great lengths to reach an acceptable compromise on the bill.

“I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation, I just can’t. I have tried everything humanly possible, I can’t get there,” said Manchin. “This is a no on this legislation. I have tried everything I know to do.”

NEW:
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s statement on @Sen_JoeManchin‘s opposition to the Build Back Better bill, with Psaki claiming the plan is “fully paid for” and “is the most fiscally responsible major bill that Congress has considered in years.” pic.twitter.com/onn6ShwqZs

— Stephanie Myers (@_StephanieMyers) December 19, 2021

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded by alleging that Manchin’s comments are at odds with his discussions with Joe Biden and that the pair would continue negotiating the bill’s framework in “good faith.”

“On Tuesday of this week, Senator Manchin came to the White House and submitted…to the president, in person, directly, a written outline for a Build Back Better bill that was the same size and scope as the president’s framework, and covered many of the same priorities,” Psaki said in a statement. “While that framework was missing key priorities, we believed it could lead to a compromise acceptable to all.”

However, with no Republican support in the 50-50 split Senate, Manchin’s opposition means the bill is essentially dead in the water.

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