Parliamentary authority rejects Biden's immigration plan 2:36
(CNN) ––
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin dealt a blow to his party's agenda this Sunday when he said he would not support President Joe Biden's economic and climate package.
And he did it just as the White House faces another winter under the influence of the coronavirus, which will likely further aggravate the situation for the nation that also comes a midterm election year.
Sen. Joe Manchin Says He Will Not Vote For Biden's Social Spending Act
The abrupt decision by the West Virginia senator abruptly broke ranks with the White House.
Additionally, he angered progressives, who had reluctantly agreed to push the bipartisan infrastructure deal months earlier, believing that Biden could secure the votes needed to pass the
Build Back Better
spending bill
in the Senate in no time.
Manchin distances himself from Biden and the Democratic Party
Manchin's distance from his party underscored how fissures within the Democratic group of lawmakers often crippled his effort to get results for voters.
Also, as some progressives tried to convince their colleagues this Sunday not to lose hope and move forward with negotiations to shape the bill, the debacle illustrated how losing a single vote in a 50-50 split Senate can derail it. that Democrats have deemed their best vehicle for creating tangible improvements in the lives of voters before the 2022 election.
This was the first year of the Biden government 3:52
Biden campaigned on the promise that he could achieve consensus in Congress and end the pandemic.
But, Manchin's move could further undermine voters' confidence in the president's ability to lead.
The moderate Democratic senator said Sunday he had months of lengthy conversations with Biden, whom he referred to as someone "wonderful to work with."
But he added that even after that he was unable to overcome his concerns that the nearly $ 2 trillion bill would exacerbate inflation.
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Precisely, he continued, when Americans suffer from rising prices everywhere: from the grocery store to the gas station.
(Democratic proponents of the bill and White House officials have repeatedly rejected that logic. They insist the legislation would reduce inflation over time.)
"I can't vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can't. I've tried everything humanly possible. I can't get there," Manchin said on "Fox News Sunday."
"This is a no to this legislation. I have tried everything I know how to do," he continued.
He added that he could not explain the "gigantic legislation" to voters in his home state.
Inflation is bad enough.
A country is making it worse
White House advisers learned of Manchin's decision from a member of his staff about 30 minutes before his television appearance, CNN reported.
And then the White House issued an unusually sharp rebuttal, personally signed by Biden, noting that Manchin's decision was a retraction of his position in talks with the government.
White House reacts to Manchin's decision with statement signed by Biden
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Manchin presented the president with a "written outline" for the
Build Back Better
bill on
Tuesday. Which was "the same size and magnitude as the president's framework," covering "many of the same priorities." Which, the official added, raised hopes that the two can reach a compromise. Psaki indicated that the West Virginia senator promised to continue the talks in the following days.
"If your comments on Fox and your written statement indicate that that effort ended, they also represent a sudden and inexplicable change in your position. And a breach of your commitments to the president and the senator's colleagues in the House and Senate," he wrote Psaki.
Biden: Rebuilding Better Would Lower US Inflation 1:13
The Economic and Climate Package includes a wide range of programs designed to help American families. And, Democrats were eager to talk about these projects in the election campaign next year. Despite the fact that Republicans have already attacked them for the size of the bill. Package includes 3- and 4-year-old universal pre-kindergarten, childcare assistance. Also a federally funded paid sick and family leave program and the extended child tax benefit for one more year. It would also allow Medicare to negotiate the price of certain drugs administered in doctors' offices or purchased at the pharmacy. The bill includes tax increases on corporations and wealthy households.This in order to collect income to pay for the new benefits.
Democrats had planned to pass it using the budget process known as conciliation, which only requires 51 votes to pass.
Which means that Republican support was not necessary.
Biden Administration to Increase Visitor Visas This Winter Amid Employee Shortages
Rejection of Manchin's decision
Despite Manchin's announcement, the Senate will vote on the legislation early next year.
This was announced Monday by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The goal, he said, is to allow members to make their positions known.
And he added that Democrats will continue their efforts to pass a version of the plan.
Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who is part of the Democrats and ran the package as chairman of the Budget Committee, demanded that Manchin be held accountable to his constituents.
Another key inflation indicator has just hit the highest level ever recorded
"He'll have a lot to explain to the people of West Virginia. To tell them why he doesn't have the guts to take on drug companies to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Why he's not ready to expand health care at home." Sanders told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" on Sunday.
In his speech, Sanders mentioned some of the benefits of the bill and how they would have helped the impoverished inhabitants of that state.
There is another sign of the open war that the party is experiencing.
And it was sent by Representative Pramila Jayapal, from the state of Washington, who chairs the Progressive group of legislators in Congress.
Jayapal said in a statement Sunday that Manchin had "betrayed his commitment not only to the president and Democrats in Congress, but to what is most important: the American people."
"Usually he says he is a man of his word. But he can no longer say that. The people of West Virginia and the country clearly see who he is," Jayapal said.
Trading from a position of weakness: Biden's options after Manchin's decision
Now, Democrats have been negotiating with a weak hand, counting down the days until the midterm elections.
Which, probably, will favor the Republican Party, according to historical patterns and the low approval ratings of the president.
Republicans have relentlessly pointed to the bill as the latest example of the Democrats' wasteful spending.
And Biden's unstable position in the polls raises questions about how broad his mandate is to execute massive changes in the nation's social safety net.
Poll shows that 49% approve of Biden's management 1:44
A Monmouth University poll in early December showed broad support for the Build Back Better plan, with 61% in favor of the legislation. But polls also reveal that Americans are uneasy about how Biden's policies affect the economy. Three-quarters of Americans said they were concerned about the state of the economy in their own community, according to a CNN poll released last week.
One of the most concerning findings for the White House in the CNN poll was that only 30% of Americans said that Biden's policies have positively impacted economic conditions.
Also, 45% said their policies have made the economy worse.
And a quarter said they have had no impact.
Approximately 8 out of 10 responded that the rising cost of food and other daily supplies is a major problem for the country's economy.
Not to mention, consumer price inflation rose 6.8% in November, a level not seen in 39 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The delight of the republicans
Both White House officials and progressive Democrats harshly rejected claims by Manchin and the Republicans that the bill would increase inflation.
The White House on Sunday cited a recent report from the Penn Wharton Budget Institute, which found that the legislation "would have virtually no impact on inflation in the short term. And, in the long term, the policies it includes will ease inflationary pressures."
But that hasn't stopped Manchin from dwelling on the issue.
Also to the delight of Republicans who have expected inflationary fears to affect the bill.
"Christmas came early for all working families in Texas who would have faced higher taxes, child care costs and high prices at gas stations if Build Back Bankrupt had passed," tweeted Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas , after Manchin's announcement. .
However, Manchin's position prompted Goldman Sachs to revise its US economic outlook.
Precisely, specialists from the Wall Street firm affirmed in an investigative report that not passing the
Build Back Better
legislation
"has negative implications for growth."
The company now expects GDP to grow at an annualized rate of 2% in the first quarter.
This is down from the previous 3%, citing the "apparent disappearance" of the legislation.
Prepare for a wave of covid-19 at Christmas
Announcing his opposition to the Build Back Better bill on Sunday, Manchin said leaders in Washington should be more focused on the arrival of the omicron variant.
In that sense, he argued that this is what "we should all be paying attention to."
This was a grim reminder for a White House that hoped to have weathered the worst of the pandemic by now.
Precisely when things are likely to get worse before they get better.
Further frustrating already weary Americans as it approaches an election year.
Omicron 'will be dominant' this winter, Fauci warns, saying Americans should prepare for 'a tough few weeks or months'
Noting how quickly omicron cases are doubling, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Sunday that the United States is heading into "a difficult weeks or months as we move into winter."
Only about 61.4% of Americans are fully vaccinated, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
And only about 29.5% of them received a booster dose.
Which, according to experts, offers the best protection.
Rapid increase in covid-19 cases
Fauci also told Tapper that the increase in COVID-19 cases would significantly strain hospital systems.
Especially in places with low vaccination rates.
He also insisted again that Americans get vaccinated.
And if they want to be "optimally protected, get boosted," he said.
While emphasizing that the nation "cannot get away" from other mitigation measures such as the use of masks and screening tests.
New CDC data released this Sunday showed that unvaccinated people face a 20 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19 than fully vaccinated people who have also received a booster dose.
The data also underscores the greater protection that booster doses offer: unvaccinated people face a 14 times greater risk of dying from COVID-19 than fully vaccinated people.
Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Cory Booker of New Jersey and Representative Jason Crow of Colorado announced Sunday that they tested positive for COVID-19, after being fully vaccinated and having their booster dose.
All three reported mild symptoms.
Christmas travel
However, the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases does not appear to deter Americans from canceling their Christmas travel plans.
Data from TSA checkpoints at the end of last week, including Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, showed that more than 2 million people were screened each day at U.S. airports - a threshold that is almost double what those figures reached a year ago.
But, they are still below the pre-2019 pandemic figures.
Biden plans to meet with advisers on Monday for a briefing on the latest developments related to the omicron variant.
Just ahead of a speech Tuesday in which he plans to broadcast what the White House described as a "dire warning of what winter will be like for Americans who choose to remain unvaccinated."
It will be another sobering message for the president to deliver after a year of disappointment for his administration.
Meanwhile, Americans are approaching the holiday season.
Covid-19 Joe Bidenmanchin