Month: December 2021

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia said Sunday he can no longer support President Biden’s Build Back Better Act. Manchin told ‘Fox News Sunday’ that concerns over inflation, the national debt and the COVID-19 pandemic forced his decision, saying “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there. This is a no on this piece of legislation. I have tried everything I know to do.   In a lengthy statement reiterating those concerns, Manchin said Democrats in Washington “are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face.”

In response, White House press secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement early Sunday afternoon, disputing the senator’s public comments.  Psaki said Manchin’s remarks on Fox “are at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances,” adding, “Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington, to support the Build Back Better framework that the President then subsequently announced. Senator Manchin pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework ‘in good faith.’  Just as Senator Manchin reversed his position on Build Back Better this morning, we will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word. The fight for Build Back Better is too important to give up. We will find a way to move forward next year.”

As written and proposed, the Build Back Better plan would pass through special Senate budgetary rebukes requiring a simple majority vote. Manchin, a moderate Democrat, has pushed for bipartisan cooperation in everything the chamber does since he arrived in the Senate in late 2010. In his statement Sunday, Manchin said he will “continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to address the needs of all Americans and do so in a way that does not risk our nation’s independence, security and way of life.”

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Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker said on Sunday that they had tested positive for COVID-19. Warren and Booker were both on the Senate floor last week for several key votes, including authorizing the Pentagon’s budget for 2022 and increasing the debt limit, which will prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its bills.

Warren tweeted that she tests regularly for COVID-19; she tested negative last week, however, then tested positive on Sunday.  Warren said: “Thankfully, I am only experiencing mild symptoms & am grateful for the protection provided against serious illness that comes from being vaccinated & boosted.”

Booker shared in a statement that he had experienced mild symptoms on Saturday, and he learned he tested positive on Sunday.  Booker said: “Fortunately, my symptoms are relatively mild. I’m beyond grateful to have received two doses of vaccine and, more recently, a booster — I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse. I encourage everyone who is eligible to get vaccinated and boosted.”

The two senators are among the thousands across the country that have tested positive amid a nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases due to the fast-spreading Omicron variant. The U.S. reported more than 80,000 cases and 250 additional deaths in the past 24 hours.  President Biden is expected to address Americans on Tuesday about the surge of the Omicron variant.

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