West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin pitched President Joe Biden a $1.8 trillion plan that excluded an extension of the child tax credit before torpedoing negotiations, The Washington Post reports.
The White House lashed out at Manchin after he went on Fox News to announce his opposition to the bill, noting that he had pitched a plan in line with Biden’s just days earlier.
That plan included 10 years of funding for universal pre-k, an expansion of Obamacare subsidies, and more than $500 billion for climate funding, according to the Post, but did not include any funding to extend the $300 per month child benefit payments.
Manchin and Biden has talked since the senator’s rejection and are discussing possible ways to revamp the proposal to make it more palatable for the Democrats’ 50th vote.
“He’s worked with Senator Manchin over the course of decades,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. “They share fundamental values. They’re longtime friends. That has not changed. And what’s most on the president’s mind is the risk of inaction. And if we do not act to get this legislation done and the components in it, not only will costs and prices go up for the American people but also we will see a trajectory in economic growth that is not where we want it to be.”
WH hurt Manchin’s feelings:
Manchin’s abrupt rejection on Sunday came after he felt slighted by a White House statement.
Biden planned to release a statement agreeing to delay negotiations until next year, naming Manchin in the release. Manchin demanded that they take his name out of the release or include others in the statement as well, like fellow holdout Kyrsten Sinema.
The White House released the statement only naming Manchin, prompting Manchin to dispatch an aide to the White House 30 minutes before he appeared on Fox.
Manchin rejected calls from White House staffers hoping to head off his announcement ahead of the interview.
Progressives don’t want to deal with Manchin:
Though the White House signaled a potential revamped bill, progressives are not eager to slash their agenda.
Progressive Caucus Leader Pramila Jayapal on Monday called for Biden to use executive action to enact as many pieces of the legislation as possible.
“[N]o one should think that we are going to be satisfied with an even smaller package that leaves people behind or refuses to tackle critical issues like climate change," Jayapal said. "That's why it is now incumbent on President Biden to keep his promise to us and to the American people by using the ultimate tool in his toolbox of executive action in every arena immediately.”
Jayapal said she’s not betting on Manchin coming around.
“At this point, we should not wait for that legislative path for the president to take action. I just think if there are too many Americans hurting, there's too much at stake ... We have trusted for too long that Sen. Manchin was engaging in good faith,” Jayapal said. “I am not willing to hang my hopes and the futures of millions of Americans across country on whether or not he will do what he said he would do yesterday, which is often different from today or tomorrow.”
