Topline
President Joe Biden said Wednesday he’s confident Congress can pass portions of the Build Back Better Act — the Democrats’ log-jammed $1.8 trillion social and climate policy package — by November’s midterm elections, despite skepticism from moderates like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).
President Joe Biden answers questions in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday.
Key Facts
Biden said he thinks Congress will support the bill’s environmental components, which include a tax credit for renewable energy projects, and he noted that Manchin has backed early childhood education.
Even if the spending package is broken up and passed piecemeal, the president vowed to “keep coming back at” portions that currently face longer odds in Congress, including free community college.
He was less confident about his push to pass a voting rights bill, another stalled goal for this year, telling reporters Wednesday, “I haven’t given up” — just days earlier, Biden said, “I don’t know if we can get this done,” after Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) indicated they’re unwilling to change the Senate’s filibuster rules to pass a voting bill.
Crucial Quote
“I’m confident we can get pieces, big chunks of the Build Back Better law signed into law” before the midterm elections, Biden said.
Tangent
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) acknowledged Sunday that the Build Back Better Act is “dead,” but he thinks some portions of the bill aimed at education and healthcare could still pass.
Key Background
Biden and Democrats are racing to push major legislation through Congress this year amid sagging approval ratings and midterm election uncertainty. But in a Senate split 50-50 between the two parties, every Democratic member will need to back the president’s plans, leading to a fraught balancing act between progressives and moderates. Democratic lawmakers spent months last year negotiating on the Build Back Better Act, which currently includes subsidies for childcare, a universal preschool program, an extended child tax credit and climate change-fighting programs. However, Manchin has expressed misgivings about its price tag, and negotiations shut down last month after Manchin told Fox News he can’t support the bill in its current form. Meanwhile, Manchin and Sinema both co-sponsored a bill that would expand early and mail-in voting nationwide, but the two senators say they’re unwilling to modify or eliminate the filibuster to overcome unified Republican opposition to the legislation.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2022/01/19/biden-still-thinks-big-chunks-of-massive-social-spending-bill-can-pass-this-year/