Biden Talked to Senator Manchin After Latter Rejected BBB Bill, White House Official Says

© REUTERS / Kevin LamarqueU.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WVA) removes his mask to speak as bipartisan members of the Senate and House gather to announce a framework for fresh coronavirus disease (COVID-19) relief legislation at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2020
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WVA) removes his mask to speak as bipartisan members of the Senate and House gather to announce a framework for fresh coronavirus disease (COVID-19) relief legislation at a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 1, 2020 - Sputnik International, 1920, 31.12.2021
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Democrat Joe Manchin refused to back Biden's ambitious bill in an evenly divided Senate, citing concerns over its costs and spiking inflation in the US. The senator thus effectively killed the prospects of the bill, which none of the Republicans supported.
Member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers Jared Bernstein has stated in an interview with CNN that US President Joe Biden discussed the Build Back Better bill with Democrat Senator Joe Manchin after the latter refused to back the legislation.

"[Biden] has some confidence about [the bill], including discussions he has had with Senator [Joe] Manchin. The president and Senator Manchin - the day after that announcement where the senator said he couldn't vote for the bill as it was - they were talking again", Bernstein said.

Bernstein did not elaborate on whether Biden made progress towards convincing the senator to support the bill.
Manchin was the last Democrat in the 50-50 split Senate who was unwilling to vote for the Build Back Better bill. The senator repeatedly said that he would only vote for it after seeing its full price. Manchin engaged in long negotiations with other Democrats trying to bring down the costs of Biden's ambitious plan, intended to boost investments in green energy, social services, and welfare.
U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) walks between meetings at the Capitol in the midst of ongoing negotiations over the Build Back Better bill, which aims to bolster the social safety net and fight climate change, in Washington, U.S. December 14, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 19.12.2021
Everybody Hates Joe: Fellow Democrats Attack Manchin for Effectively Killing BBB Bill
After long talks with other Democratic Party leaders, Manchin was close to backing the bill. However, once initial reports regarding decades-high inflation in the US emerged, the senator renewed his concerns regarding the BBB bill's costs. He ultimately refused to vote for the bill at the end of December, effectively blocking the passage of the legislation in 2021.
The lawmaker elaborated at the time that he saw no way of fixing the bill. Meanwhile, no Republican senator was willing to back the BBB plan, citing its high price tag for the American economy, which has been hit by a combination of slowed growth and high inflation. Many Democrats condemned Manchin's refusal to back the BBB bill, blaming him for Americans being unable to reap the benefits of it in 2022 – an election year that threatens the party's control over Congress.
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