The Arizona Republic

Schumer: Manchin won’t deter votes

Senate will push forward despite opposition, majority leader says

- Matthew Brown and Joey Garrison

Congressio­nal Democrats, rocked by Sen. Joe Manchin’s opposition to President Joe Biden’s signature social spending and climate bill, will press forward with votes on their priorities regardless, Senate leadership said.

In a letter to colleagues Monday morning, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, wrote that the Senate would consider legislatio­n addressing voting rights and the Build Back Better bill at the start of the new year.

Though Schumer touted Congress’ milestones this session, including Democrats’ economic and pandemic relief package and a bipartisan infrastruc­ture bill, the majority leader acknowledg­ed “this session has also led to moments of deep discontent and frustratio­n.”

One of those moments came Sunday, when Manchin said he wouldn’t vote for the roughly $2 trillion Build Back Better Act, which includes national prekinderg­arten, subsidized child care and actions to address climate change.

Biden and Democratic leaders had negotiated with the West Virginia Democrat for months in hopes of passing the measure.

“Neither that delay, nor other recent pronouncem­ents, will deter us from continuing to try to find a way forward,” Schumer wrote.

Without Manchin’s vote, it is unlikely Biden’s domestic policy package will pass in an evenly divided Senate. Schumer indicated that even if the bill will fail on the Senate floor, it will be brought to a vote “so that every member of this body has the opportunit­y to make their position known on the Senate floor, not just on television.”

The White House released a sharp critique of Manchin on Sunday.

“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,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki wrote in a statement.

She pushed back on each of Manchin’s stated objections to the bill’s climate and economic provisions.

“We will not relent in the fight to help Americans with their child care, health care, prescripti­on drug costs and elder care – and to combat climate change,” Psaki wrote. “We will find a way to move forward next year.”

Manchin, in a 14-minute radio interview Monday on West Virginia MetroNews, said he figured the White House would “come back strong” in retaliatio­n to his announceme­nt Sunday on Fox News. Recounting his decision, he pointed to actions by White House officials in addition to concerns about the scope of the legislatio­n.

“I just got to the wit’s end, and they know the real reason what happened. They won’t tell you, and I’m not going to,” Manchin said. “It’s not the president. This is staff. And they drove some things, they put some things out that were absolutely inexcusabl­e. They know what it is.”

Biden and Democratic leaders sought to pass the Build Back Better legislatio­n through a process called budget reconcilia­tion that would require a simple majority – meaning all Democratic senators plus Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreakin­g vote – in the evenly divided Senate. Manchin said he will consider components of the president’s agenda only through the Senate’s committee system, a path that would take months and not guarantee passage.

Manchin said the White House refused to budge from demands by progressiv­e Democrats who opposed provisions backed by Manchin, such as his push for work requiremen­ts to receive child tax credits.

“They couldn’t get there. They couldn’t take away all the social reforms that they had pent up for years,” he said.

He said his Democratic critics wrongly assumed they could “beat one person up” and force him to move on the Build Back Better Act by targeting him with protesters. “Guess what? I’m from West Virginia. I’m not from where they’re from, and they can just beat the living crap out of people and think they’ll be submissive.”

Manchin singled out a push by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, to hold a Senate vote on the legislatio­n.

“Bernie, please put it on the floor. Maybe it will sink in that we just have to look at a different direction in this farreachin­g social agenda of yours,” he said.

Asked about his future with the Democratic Party, Manchin said, “I’m fiscally responsibl­e and socially compassion­ate. Now if there’s no Democrats like that, then they can push me wherever they want me.”

In his letter, Schumer took aim at Senate Republican­s over congressio­nal gridlock, writing that if they “continue to abuse the filibuster and prevent the body from considerin­g this bill, the Senate will then consider changes to any rules which prevent us from debating and reaching final conclusion on important legislatio­n.”

Republican­s and some Democrats oppose changes to the filibuster, a legislativ­e hurdle Republican­s have used to block Democratic bills this year.

Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Arizona, have opposed changes to Senate rules. Many other Democrats, ignited by fears over restrictiv­e voter laws enacted in state legislatur­es, have renewed calls to change Senate rules to enact voting rights.

As on Build Back Better, Schumer indicated the public deserves to have a clear understand­ing of each lawmaker’s position.

”I believe our constituen­ts deserve to know which senators choose to hide behind ill-conceived and absurd rules and which senators prefer to restore Senate floor procedures to better align with the founders’ intentions,” Schumer wrote.

Manchin’s opposition to Build Back Better, announced on “Fox News Sunday,” was swiftly condemned by most of the party. Moderate House Democrats, including Reps. Abigail Spanberger, DVirginia, and Conor Lamb, D-Pennsylvan­ia, criticized the move alongside liberal colleagues such as Reps. Barbara Lee, D-California, and Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington.

Sanders backed a floor vote on Build Back Better, as did Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Massachuse­tts.

“We will not relent in the fight to help Americans with their child care, health care, prescripti­on drug costs and elder care – and to combat climate change. We will find a way to move forward next year.”

Jen Psaki White House press secretary

 ?? AP FILE ?? In a letter to colleagues Monday morning, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote that the Senate would consider legislatio­n addressing voting rights and the Build Back Better bill at the start of the new year.
AP FILE In a letter to colleagues Monday morning, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote that the Senate would consider legislatio­n addressing voting rights and the Build Back Better bill at the start of the new year.

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