Manchin Says He Made 'No Commitments' To Biden On Reconciliation Package

[bluewater]

Manchin Says He Made ‘No Commitments’ To Biden On Reconciliation Package

If you were hoping to gain more insight into what Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is thinking on the topline of the reconciliation bill, we have bad news for you: he’s still tight-lipped even after meeting with President Biden at the White House alongside fellow centrist Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ).

Manchin simply continued to leave reporters hanging by telling them that “no commitments” were made to Biden on the topline of the reconciliation package.

Reminder: The President told Manchin last week to put up or shut up. Democrats have yet to see a list of his demands — including for a lower top line — as centrists put up a fight over the $3.5 trillion price tag.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/live-blog/dems-face-divorcing-3-5-trillion-reconciliation-plan-from-bipartisan-bill?entry=1388887

Link to tweet

I have never seen a sitting Senator do so much to derail the agenda of a President from his own party as this.

[qazplm135]

1. If there was no progress made

then the reconciliation bill is truly effed.

[Demsrule86]

6. Did you read the article...it sounded positive to me.

[qazplm135]

10. how so?

I saw nothing in the article other than Biden asked for a number, manchin hasn't given one, no commitments were made.

[tymorial]

2. He has to play these games.

West Virginia is very happy about the infrastructure bill so maybe that will help. It will never change republican voters even if they are secretly happy but it might keep moderates next year. We can't lose that seat.

[abqtommy]

3. Hint: "Mercenary" Manchin is many things, but a Democrat he's not! nt

[Demsrule86]

5. He is a Democrat... and votes with us...check out how often the GOP Senator WVA

has voted with us...ah if you came up with never...you would be correct.

[wellst0nev0ter]

16. Joe Lieberman also "votes with us" most of the time

Remember him?



We need to stop coping and start pushing back

[FBaggins]

4. I suspect that they're still trying to get him to commit to a number

It would probably go faster if they looked at specific categories and asked which he would not support regardless of price tag.

But, of course, "go faster" is exactly what he doesn't want right now. He wants to "pause" until the infrastructure bill is passed.

[bluewater]

8. I suspect it isn't about the bottom line at all but killing specific energy related programs.

[FBaggins]

11. Exactly

From the same TPM blog linked in the OP:

If Topline Must Come Down, Wyden Favors Shortening Years Of Funding In Reconciliation Package

Amongst the procedural options that Democrats are exploring to end the impasse that moderates are causing over the reconciliation bill’s price tag, Senate Finance Committee chair Ron Wyden (D-OR) said that he would be in favor of shortening the number of years that the package is good for in order to shave down its topline.

Wyden declined to detail the number of years that the reconciliation bill should cover. It currently runs for 10 years.

“I’m not going to get into the number of years. I was asked if there are changes in the number topline, I personally in the caucus will talk about it,” Wyden said. “I personally would favor a shorter number of years.”

If Manchin says "ok... 2.5 Trillion", Wyden's strategy would be to leave everything in the bill and just play duration games such that the headline price tag hits that figure - but no actual change to the bill. Yet Manchin clearly wants some aspects of the bill to go away (you've pegged the most likely first one).

But he doesn't want to start there because he doesn't want to make ANY progress between now and a vote on infrastructure in the House.

[qazplm135]

13. then say that

I think it's that he really doesn't want to do this bill. He MIGHT end up voting for something at some point if he sees it as advantageous to him, but right now, he doesn't want to vote at ALL.

He's the guy talking about waiting til next year knowing full well an election year is not going to see a trillion or more dollars being agreed to be spent.

[Fiendish Thingy]

7. Don't listen to what he says, watch what he does.

The reconciliation bill is being drafted right now in what Jayapal calls the “pre-conferencing” process between committee members in both the house and senate. That is where the sausage is actually being made, not in the chase-him-down-hallway sound bites.

If there’s an impasse or roadblock in one of the committees, we might hear about it, otherwise, the sausage making will continue…

[OnDoutside]

14. Well said.

[Mike Nelson]

9. I think...

... this is obvious. If there was a commitment, there would be no story! It would be over! In the end, he will vote for the bills.

[qazplm135]

12. Why doesn't he just say...1 trillion

that's my number. Take it or leave it?

Progressives would begrudgingly take it and we could move on.

1 trillion isn't going to get him not reelected. It will probably only include the most popular provisions dealing with children and other things that everyone wants. It's not controversial.

[Dave says]

15. So the slide in the stock market continues.

Thanks Manchin and Sinema, just as I am retiring.

[Calista241]

17. Don't get me wrong, Manchin is being a dick.

But other Senators have totally fucked over their own party in the past. Just look at John McCain single handedly saving Obamacare and royally fucking DJT. Hell, Nixon was half a second from being convicted in his impeachment with votes from his own party. And several Repub Senators voted to convict Trump.