During an interview on Fox News, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin announced that he would not be voting for Joe Biden’s “Build Back Bette...
During an interview on Fox News, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin announced that he would not be voting for Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” legislation.
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Manchin said that “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation, I just can’t. I tried everything humanly possible; I can’t get there.”
“You’re done – this is a no,” Bret Baier said.
“This is a no on this legislation,” Manchin replied. “I have tried everything I know to do.”
Democrats had been working to change the senator’s mind and hoped that negotiations would continue throughout the week.
Manchin cited inflation, the federal debt and omicron as reasons for his refusal to continue discussing the bill.
“When you have these things coming at you the way they are right now, I’ve always said this, Bret, if I can’t go home to the people of West Virginia, I can’t vote for it,” Manchin said.
Last week, Biden issued a statement claiming that Manchin was supporting the bill and that “we will advance this work together over the days and weeks ahead.”
The White House seemed shocked by his interview on Fox News and accused him of a “breach of his commitments.”
“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,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
“Just as Senator Manchin reversed his position on Build Back Better this morning, we will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word,” the statement continued.
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