Democrats slam rebel senator for vow to block Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislation

Furious far-left Democrats accuse rebel senator Joe Manchin of corruption and self-interest over his vow to block Joe Biden’s Build Back Better legislation.

Furious far-left Democrats slammed rebel Senator Joe Manchin on Monday for vowing to block Joe Biden’s historic Build Back Better legislation, as the ruling party’s parliamentary veterans tried to keep hopes alive that some of the reform could be salvaged in the New Year.

The two most powerful Democrats in the Congress, senate leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, played down Sunday’s setback, when the West Virginia Senator shocked the White House by revealing he would vote against the legislation after months of negotiations, dooming the bill in a 50-50 split chamber.

The most vocal left-wing Democrat advocates of the legislation, known as the Squad, led by New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, said Senator Manchin’s excuse was a “farce”, and advised against any further negotiations.

“It’s a farce in terms of plain democracy because I represent more or just as many or more people than Joe Manchin does – perhaps more,” she said, incorrectly assessing the size of West Virginia’s population of 1.8 million compared with her own New York constituency of around 700,000 people.

“This idea that we’re going to go back to the table and give him the pen again for a bill that he already has his ink all over makes very little sense.”

Her colleague Congresswoman Ilhan Omar went further, accusing the Senator of “corruption and self-interest”, telling national television his excuse was “complete bullshit”. “When democracies are no longer able to address their constituents’ needs and demands, authoritarians seize power,” she warned.

Senator Manchin, who feared the bill would add to rising inflation and unsustainable federal budget deficits, doubled down on his rejection on Monday, accusing White House staff of driving him to his “wit’s end” and trying to intimidate him.

“I’m from West Virginia. I’m not from where they’re from and they can beat the living crap out of people and think they will be submissive,” he said, speaking on local West Virginian radio.

Senator Schumer wrote to his Congressional colleague early Monday, suggesting the Build Back Better bill – which contained major reforms to US healthcare, education, climate change and welfare policy – would still face a vote early in 2022.

“Every member of this body [will] have the opportunity to make their position known on the Senate floor, not just on television,” he wrote.

“We will keep voting on it until we get something done,” he added, suggesting the bill could, nevertheless, be “revised”.

The legislation, passed by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives a month ago, included “free” childcare and preschool, expanded child welfare payments, four weeks of paid leave and massive electric car and renewable energy subsidies.

In a separate letter, Speaker Pelosi said she was “hopeful we will soon reach agreement so that this vital legislation can pass as soon as possible next year”.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki struck a more conciliatory tone on Monday, describing the President and Senator Manchin as “long time friends”, contradicting analysts’ claims on Sunday that their relationship was “scorched earth”.

“He’s no stranger to legislative challenges and we’ll continue to take steps to get it done,” Ms Psaki told reporters.

Democrats were particularly angry about the collapse of the administration’s climate change agenda, which included a promise to slash US carbon dioxide emissions by 50 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030.

The bill included $555bn worth of subsidies over a decade – the single largest item in the legislation – to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, including a $12,500 subsidy for the purchase of US-made electric car built with unionised labour and $320bn of tax deductions for suppliers of wind and solar energy.

“Let‘s make that extremely clear: The climate ambitions have been reduced because of Joe Manchin,” Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez said. “Our entire democracy is on the line. So we need to get back in there and get this shit done. Period.”

Cori Bush, another firebrand Democrat Congresswoman, said she was “frustrated with every Democrat who agreed to tie the fate of our most vulnerable communities to the corporatist ego of one Senator”.

Senator Manchin’s rejection of the bill will shift Democrat focus to a voting rights bill, designed to override states’ ability to set their own voting rules, although it will similarly require the support of Senator Manchin and other more conservative democrats.