Joe Manchin betrayed President Biden, the White House and every single Democrat today when he came out on Fox News Sunday (of course) and told Bret Baier that he would be voting NO on the Build Back Better Plan after literally months of dragging out his “will he or won’t he” dance. President Biden and Democratic leadership have bowed at his feet, bent over backwards to accommodate his requests, adjusted funding, cut provisions, and reduced overall cost in an effort to secure his vote. After all that work, he stabbed them in the back. On live TV. On Fox “News.” With zero warning to anyone.
The White House was RIGHTFULLY furious and they put out a statement quickly.
While not spelling it out explicitly, the White House is stating pretty clearly that Manchin has not been dealing in good faith with them and repeatedly mislead the President or went back on his promises. https://t.co/jqDSY1M06W
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) December 19, 2021
Here’s the link to the full statement from the White House.
Jen Psaki made it clear that the White House was working with Manchin on all areas of concern, saying:
“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. While that framework was missing key priorities, we believed it could lead to a compromise acceptable to all. Senator Manchin promised to continue conversations in the days ahead, and to work with us to reach that common ground. 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.”
Does Manchin care? Probably not. He is rich, he will remain rich, and any future lobbying work he does will keep him rich. What he has done is completely screwed over his constituents and all Democrats — and Republicans — who would have benefited from this once in a lifetime safety net. A safety net that would have lifted millions out of poverty, given children much needed food, millions access to education, job benefits, and provided a framework of prosperity for all Americans — not just the top 1%.