Sen. Joe Manchin says Build Back Better bill is ‘dead’

Sen. Joe Manchin has declared that President Joe Biden’s vast social and environment bill is “dead,” suggesting that any new push for Democrats’ top domestic priorities would have to arise from a fresh round of negotiations, as AP reported.

“What Build Back Better bill?” Manchin said when reporters asked about it, as PBS reported. “There is no, I mean, I don’t know what you’re all talking about.” Asked if he’d had any talks about it, he added, “No, no, no, no. It’s dead.”

The West Virginia Democrat confirmed the stance he’d taken in December, when he said he couldn’t support the legislation as written. But his latest comments illustrated the election-year challenges facing his party as it struggles to resuscitate parts of the package and win over voters weary of the 2-year-old pandemic and coping with the worst inflation in decades.

Perhaps the most conservative member of his party, Manchin has repeatedly said he remains open to a smaller bill including provisions including free pre-kindergarten programs, environmental reforms and federal health care subsidies. But he has also said negotiations have yet to begin.

That lack of activity, along with Biden’s dismal approval rating in polls, has prompted worries that the landmark effort could fade away.