‘Build Back Better’ Just Hit That Iceberg – Opinion

I reported yesterday how Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) may just have dealt a fatal blow to Biden’s dreams for the Build Back Better bill, at least in terms of getting anything passed by Christmas.

It looks like I was right now, with the reporting today that it appears that it’s dead — at least for the rest of this year because they don’t have Manchin and perhaps others on board.

Democrats are planning to pack it in for this year on the bill, according to four sources familiar with planning by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office.

Fox’s Bret Baier is also reporting multiple sources are saying it.

Multiple Hill sources confirm that BBB will be rescheduled in 2021. We are waiting for confirmation from the leadership. https://t.co/EwuefsOf3R

— Bret Baier (@BretBaier) December 15, 2021

According to NBC News, there are a variety of things they haven’t been able to do, even if they had everyone in agreement which they don’t.

The decision is also in part because Senate Democrats haven’t finished negotiating the bill. The methane rule and provisions on local and state taxes remain unresolved. Senate Democrats also haven’t finished clearing all the procedural hurdles necessary to hold a vote.

According to two congressional sources, a vote may be postponed until March. Two sources in Congress requested anonymity to give honest assessments of internal conversations.

March? Oh, my. One has to think that’s the kiss of death and that when the horrible CBO numbers came in, that did it for Manchin for anything with those kinds of numbers. It showed that if you were looking at it honestly and keeping the social programs that they were starting, the actual cost would be closer to $5 trillion, not $1.75 trillion — the number they are claiming now, and that it would add $3 trillion to the debt, despite Biden’s protestations (translate: lies) that “it wouldn’t cost a single penny.”

Meanwhile, the progressives are going to flip out if this is true and the bill doesn’t go to a vote. Because they received promises that it would be voted upon if they voted in favor of infrastructure, they are planning to roast Joe Biden. Manchin didn’t say that he would vote to support it. Sinema did not agree, as may be other holdouts. Talk about Democratic disarray — this is going to open the divide into a chasm with the progressives.

It sounds as though we owe Joe Manchin some gratitude. Perhaps we should celebrate a little, even if the monstrosity has been declared dead or in abeyance.

Manchin in her home should be harassed more than Sinema at the bathroom.

— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) December 15, 2021

I hate to say “I told you so,” but … no, wait, I love to say “I told you so.”https://t.co/DOOApQSDDM https://t.co/UzHOlQPpcu

— Ed Morrissey (@EdMorrissey) December 15, 2021