This content is not available due to your privacy preferences.The Senate’s No. 2 Democrat conceded the obvious Thursday: The party’s main legislative agenda has ground to a halt, with no prospect of passing President Biden’s social spending bill or voting rights before the end of this year.
“Correct,” he responded, attributing the roadblock in part on a poignant personal problem: The Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough — who must rule on whether items in the bill can be legitimately included as part of a budget “reconciliation” package — is battling breast cancer and has been unable to work in recent days.
In recent days, as the prospects for Build Back Better have faded, the White House and Senate Democrats have pivoted to voting rights. But Manchin and Sinema President Biden speaks to the press after touring areas damaged by tornadoes on Dec. 15, in Dawson Springs, Ky. that he was “stunned” that Manchin will not even go along with extending the child tax credit after it expires this month, given that there are so many families in West Virginia that have grown accustomed to depending on checks from the U.S. Treasury under the program.
We live to fight another day.
The media needs to stop referring to this as “Biden’s Bill.” Legislation, especially spending, is the purview of Congress. The continued transfer of responsibility and power from the Article I branch is rotting our system, and creating an imperial Presidency. cc: charlescwcooke