U.S. President Joe Biden's hopes to advance the pinnacle of his economic agenda before the end of this year suffered a severe, perhaps even fatal, blow yesterday, when the Senate, the moderate Democratic senator from the state of West Virginia, c. And Manchin, announced that he is unable to support the current legislative wording of the bill on the subject.
Appearing on Fox News, Manchin said that despite his talks in recent days with Biden in an attempt to soften legislation and remove the clauses he claimed were too wasteful and would create a deep budget hole for the US Treasury, the efforts were unsuccessful.
"I have always said that if I can not return to my country and explain to my constituents why it is worthwhile, I will not be able to vote for it," the senator said.
"My decision is 'no', and I have tried everything possible as a person to vote in favor, but there is no way to bridge that."
Manchin's main concern, he explained, was that this legislation would be interpreted among his constituents in West Virginia as a wasteful move that was inconsistent with the conservative values he represented, in part by increasing the budget deficit and inflation.
This is a legislative initiative called "Build Back Better" ("Rebuild Better", in Hebrew).
The bill, which has already passed the House of Representatives but is stuck in the Senate, is expected to allocate huge resources to a series of $ 1.7 trillion welfare projects across the U.S. that are designed to provide a safety net for many citizens.
The proposal is subject to much criticism due to the large sums included in it.
Republicans describe it as a "gimmick" ahead of next year's midterm elections.
Manchin, a member of Biden's party, is considered the leader of the moderate party in the Democratic Party, because he actually represents one of the most conservative states in the United States, where former President Donald Trump has a large grip. May lose his seat in the Senate.
For Biden and the Democrats, there seems to be no choice but to persuade Menchin to vote for them, since without him they have no majority.
And as if that's not enough, in less than a year there will be elections for both houses of Congress, and according to all polls Republicans are expected to get a majority in both, so it is likely that the president will repeatedly try to offer Minchin concessions in order to agree.
For now, Biden seems to be ending 2021 with a defeat and a severe image blow on almost all fronts: the US corona is on the rise, its foreign policy has yet to recover from the humiliation it has suffered in Afghanistan, and its domestic and economic spheres are not soaring as hoped.
And as if that were not enough, the main message he faced for the presidency - that he could bring back to Washington the cooperation between the parties and put an end to the corona plague - seems detached from reality today.
Yesterday, following Manchin's announcement, White House spokeswoman Jen Saki issued a statement urging him to reconsider his position and keep his promises.
She even argued that his arguments were irrelevant because they referred to an old version of the legislation, and that the current version had already been analyzed by independent congressional budget experts, who concluded that it would not increase the deficit.
"As Manchin changed his mind about legislation today, we will continue to press him to see if he agrees to change his mind again, to keep his word and be true to his previous commitments," Saki said.
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