He’s not backing down.
After announcing his decision not to support Biden’s Build Back Better Plan on Fox News Sunday (December 19th), Senator Joe Manchin appeared on the Talkline with Hoppy Kercheval podcast on Monday (December 20th). In the podcast episode, Manchin explains why he decided he would not be supporting the Build Back Better Plan in its current form and the intimidation he suffered at the hands of its supporters because of that decision.
Referencing provisions in the plan, Manchin said that Biden’s administration “drove some things” and “put some things out that were absolutely inexcusable,” adding that the administration knew what it was that he could not agree to.
Further on the podcast, Manchin blamed Democrats for sending protesters “to beat the living crap out of people,” saying that they (Democrats) believed it would make them submissive.
Manchin’s decision essentially thwarted any hope the Biden administration had of sending the bill to the President’s desk before the end of the year.
As the senator’s latest refusal to accept the bill confirms previous sentiments, that unless Democrats make significant changes to the bill, they will not secure his support.
According to Manchin, he was not in favor of the cost and key provisions in the legislation, revealing that although he had been negotiating with the President for the past few weeks, many of the discussions were “staff-driven.”
Manchin –– the only Democrat opposed to the Build Back Better plan–– has drawn the ire of activists and protestors who’ve targeted the senator at his houseboat and in public in a bid to pressure him to vote for the bill. Manchin blames Democrats for spurring on these protestors, saying that Democrats believed they could badger him as “one person” into voting for the bill.
But it seems Manchin isn’t budging as he is also opposed to fax subsidies that he said should be targeted to lower-income people and families.
