To Democrats eager to become senators in 2023, the Senate is plainly broken and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin's power over President Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan is proof.
The moderate Democrat's announcement on Sunday that he would be a no vote on Biden's sweeping economic and social spending package has lit a fire under those Democrats who hope to be his colleagues.
"Manchin's current decision is an egregious betrayal of working people," said Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Democrat running in a crowded primary for his state's open Senate seat in 2022. "It proves how important it is for us to elect working people who know in their bones what it means when government works or doesn't."
Kenyatta, who has close ties to Biden after endorsing him early in the 2020 presidential primary, said Manchin's decision shows "why it is so crucial that we win this seat and have a true majority."
Manchin told Senate Democrats on a caucus call Tuesday night that he would keep talking but has issues with the current bill, according to a source familiar with the matter. And Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated to his caucus he wants to have a vote on the legislation in the new year, according to a source briefed on the matter.
But after weeks of negotiations between Biden and Manchin, the West Virginia senator had told Fox News on Sunday that he "cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation." Because of the evenly divided Senate -- and the fact that no Republicans have backed the Build Back Better plan -- Manchin's announcement dealt a stinging blow to the Biden administration's signature economic package, enraging Democrats and frustrating some of Manchin's colleagues.
Republicans are already preparing to use the Build Back Better plan against Democrats -- whether it passes or not -- charging them with reckless spending at a time when inflation is rising.
But Democrats in Washington have also sought to use Manchin's decision to spur their base to support the party's Senate candidates in 2022 -- previewing how those candidates may run against Manchin's influence.
"Bottomline... a 50/50 senate ain't cutting it folks," tweeted Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee. "We have to pick up more seats," he added, before listing some of the party's best opportunities to grow their majority in what will be a difficult midterm cycle.
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