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A28 u.s. news
Diahuebs 23 December 2021

Biden and Dems scramble to salvage social, climate package

(AP) — President Joe Biden, “The legislative approach, while es- “Senator Manchin and I are going to video call said. That’s a nod to long-
along with progressive and mod- sential, has no certainty of timing get something done,” Biden said. running efforts to adjust or end the
erate Democrats, appears deter- or results,” she said, “and we simply filibuster, which typically requires a
mined to return to the negotiat- cannot wait to deliver tangible relief The president’s off-the-cuff remarks 60-vote threshold for measures to ad-
ing table with Sen. Joe Manchin, to people that they can feel and will were his first public statement since vance.
the holdout Democrat who ef- make a difference in their lives and Manchin’s announcement over the
fectively tanked the party’s sig- livelihoods.” weekend that he would not support While Manchin has said he cannot
nature $2 trillion domestic policy the bill, as is. explain the bill to constituents in
initiative. At the same time, White House of- West Virginia, a union representing
ficials have spoken with Rep. Su- Since then, Senate Majority Leader coal miners, including some of the
In the days since the West Virginia zan DelBene, D-Wash., chair of the Chuck Schumer told Democrats on a nearly 12,000 from his home state,
lawmaker gave a thumbs down on the House’s centrist New Democrat Co- 90-minute video call to expect a vote urged the lawmaker to “revisit his op-
package, delivering a stunning blow alition, on its plan to scale back the in January on the package. position” to the package.
to months of negotiations on Biden’s number of provisions but have them
agenda, Democrats of the left and stay in effect longer. Manchin said he Schumer told senators the party was Cecil Roberts, president of the Unit-
center have joined the White House supports that approach. “not giving up” on the proposal, ac- ed Mine Workers of America, out-
in attempting to salvage the social ser- cording to a Democrat who was on lined the ways the package would
vices and climate change bill. But Republicans are voicing greater the private call Tuesday and provided benefit union members, such as
confidence now that they can beat details on condition of anonymity. those in West Virginia, the most coal-
“We have worked too long and too back much of what they don’t like in dependent state in the country.
hard to give up now, and we have no the package. “As we ended the year, it But the Democrats face serious ques-
intention of doing so,” Rep. Pramila looks to me like they couldn’t swal- tions over whether the initiative can Some of those provisions would ex-
Jayapal, head of the Congressional low the spinach,” Sen. Mitch McCo- be refashioned to win Manchin’s cru- tend the current fee paid by coal com-
Progressive Caucus, said in a state- nnell, the Senate Republican leader, cial vote and head off a devastating panies to fund benefits received by
ment Wednesday. said Wednesday of the Democrats. defeat for the party. victims of coal workers’ pneumoco-
niosis, or black lung. The bill would
Jayapal said she and members of the Biden spoke Tuesday about the fami- Manchin and his party are so far also provide tax incentives to encour-
caucus have been in conversations lies who would benefit from the apart, his relationships so bruised af- age manufacturers to build facilities
with White House officials about the Democrats’ ambitious, if now highly ter months of failed talks, it’s unclear in the coalfields, potentially employ-
prospects of achieving the plan’s goals uncertain, plan to pour billions of how they even get back to the negoti- ing miners who have lost their jobs,
through a combination of Biden’s dollars into child care, health care and ating table, let alone revive the more according to the union.
executive powers and legislation, in- other services. than 2,100-page bill.
stead of legislation alone. The next steps remain highly uncer-
Youtube video thumbnail All of that is encouraging to McCon- tain for the president and his party,
nell. with Congress on recess for the holi-
day break.
“Now, I know Schumer said last
night on a call he’s not giving up,” the The White House appeared to take
Kentucky Republican told the Hugh interest in Manchin’s and the centrist
Hewitt Show. “I don’t expect him to coalition’s preference for a reimag-
do, but the worst of BBB, it appears ined bill that would do far less but
to me, is dead.” He used the short- for longer than the bill passed by the
hand for the Build Back Better plan. House.
Biden spoke forcefully of the eco- But it will be extraordinarily diffi-
nomic pressures that strip away the cult for Democrats to rebuild trust in
“dignity of a parent” trying to pay their ranks for a fresh round of ne-
the bills, and the assistance millions gotiations, having devoted much of
could receive from the federal gov- Biden’s first year in office to what is
ernment with the legislation. He also now essentially a collapsed effort.
said his package would help ease in-
flationary pressures and pointed to The package was among the biggest
analyses suggesting it would boost of its kind ever considered in Con-
the economy. gress, unleashing billions of dollars
to help American families nationwide
“I want to get things done,” Biden — nearly all paid for with higher tax-
said. “I still think there’s a possibility es on corporations and the wealthy.
of getting Build Back Better done.”
For families with children, it would
The setback has thrown Biden’s top provide free pre-school and child care
legislative effort into deep doubt at aid. There are subsidies for health in-
a critical time, closing out the end surance premiums, lower prescrip-
of the president’s first year and be- tion drug costs and expanded Med-
fore congressional midterm elections icaid access in states that do not yet
when the Democrats’ slim hold on provide it. The bill would start a new
Congress is at risk. hearing aid program for seniors. And
it has more than $500 billion to curb
Coupled with solid Republican op- carbon emissions, a figure considered
position, Manchin’s vote is vital on the largest federal expenditure ever to
this and other initiatives, including combat climate change.
the Democrats’ priority voting rights
legislation that Schumer also said A potential new deadline for Biden
would come to an early vote. and his party comes with the expira-
tion of an expanded child tax credit
Schumer has said that if Republicans that has been sending up to $300
continued to block voting rights leg- monthly directly to millions of fami-
islation in January, the Senate would lies’ bank accounts. If Congress fails
bring forward proposals for changing to act, the money won’t arrive in
the Senate rules, a Democrat on the January.a