(TheRedWire.com) – From the summer of 2021 through early winter 2022, the White House regularly got ahead of moderate Sen. Joe Machin (D-WV) and spoke for the powerful Senator. The White House and congressional Democrats initially tried to get Manchin on board with spending $3.5 trillion for their semi-socialist Build Back Better proposal. Manchin often warned he wouldn’t vote to add fuel to the growing inflation problem. Right before Christmas, Manchin effectively killed the bill once and for all.
It appears the White House is hopeful Machin may still give them something ahead of the November midterm elections. The Biden administration is playing things much closer to the vest this time. In fact, the administration doesn’t want to say a word about any negotiations with Manchin. According to Politico, administration officials placed a gag order on any talks with the West Virginia Senator.
The White House, after seeing President Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan collapse when it couldn't get Sen. Joe Manchin, https://t.co/b5ZRX2Egrs., to sign on, is this time keeping quiet about the bill and Manchin himself.
— Newsmax (@newsmax) April 11, 2022
Manchin previously said he would support a small bill that focuses on prescription drugs and a balanced climate program inclusive of both fossil fuels and renewable energies. Yet, on Tuesday, April 12, the latest Labor Department report said inflation spiked to 8.5% — a forty-year record. Manchin blamed the White House and Federal Reserve for not acting fast enough. The bad news could be enough for Manchin to walk away from Biden’s domestic plan to focus almost exclusively on getting inflation under control and bringing down gasoline prices.
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