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Manu Raju

@mkraju

Jan 20

Just caught up with Manchin, who set a very high bar for passing 'chunks' of Build Back Better plan.

In short, he wants to see inflation, covid and the national debt dealt with first.

Also said they'll be 'starting from scratch' and his December offer isn't on table

"The main thing we need to do is take care of the inflation," Manchin said. "Get your financial house in order. Get a tax code that works and take care of the pharmaceuticals that are gauging the people with high prices. We can fix that. we can do a lot of good things."

Manchin added that Washington first needs to "get your financial house in order. Get this inflation down. Get covid out of the way. Then we'll be rolling."

"We will just be starting from scratch," Manchin said, adding that it will be "clean sheet of paper."

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Manu Raju

@mkraju

Dec 16, 2021

Spoke with Manchin tonight about why and Biden are at odds over BBB
- Manchin said bill must not exceed $1.75T
- Said that he's objecting to a one-year extension of child tax credit because he believes it hides true cost since will likely be extended. Said it should be 10 years

- But extending it for the next decade would blow up the price tag and would require wholesale changes of a bill. He said that if it increases the price tag and they want to keep the CTC, Democrats should drop other programs in order to make it all fit under $1.75 trillion.

"We have $1.75 to work within. And the only thing I’m saying is whatever – I’m not in charge so whatever they have to choose, they have to choose. It’s not me," he said.

"I’m saying 10 for 10. If you're gonna do something, let’s do it, let’s commit to it. I’m committed."

Read 6 tweets

Manu Raju

@mkraju

Dec 15, 2021

Talks between Manchin and Biden are NOT going well on Build Back Better, per source familiar with talks. A huge sticking point: the Child Tax Credit. Manchin wants it cut. Source says he wants to “zero it out.” They are “very far apart,” source says.

This kills any virtually any hope of getting the bill done by Christmas as Schumer had hoped. Biden and Manchin not close to a deal

Strong Democratic pushback to Manchin’s demands to cut CTC. “It’s not going to get zeroed out,” Sen. Sherrod Brown told me. “That’s non-negotiable.”

Sen. Elizabeth Warren said: “We need the child tax credit. It has cut childhood poverty in America by nearly half.”

Read 5 tweets

Manu Raju

@mkraju

Dec 14, 2021

Manchin says he spoke “briefly” with Biden today. I asked him if Biden is moving closer to him on BBB, and he said: “I wouldn’t say that.” He also made clear he’s not changing rules to approve voting rights billl unless GOP is on board with rules changes. (Ds pushing him on this)

“All my discussions have been bipartisan - Republicans and Democrats. Rules changes should be done where we all have input in this rules change because we're going to have live with it. Because we're going to be in the minority some time, and the majority back and forth,” he said

Asked Manchin what he meant that Biden not moving closer to him. “No, no, I don't think I'm asking anybody to move. I want people to understand where I am. And I think that that's worth getting more of an understanding."

Read 4 tweets

Manu Raju

@mkraju

Dec 13, 2021

In a big warning sign, Manchin said BBB shouldn’t rely on temporary spending that could become permanent. “I don’t think that’s a fair evaluation of saying we are going to spend X amount of dollars but then we are going to have to depend on coming back and finding more money"

Manchin: "And if that's in that 1.7T range, then we should be spending whatever in that range . ... Pre-K, childcare, in-home care, then it should be 10 years. It shouldn't just be one year here, three years here, five years there." (Doing that would force major rewrite of bill)

Manchin added: "That would be I think it would be very transparent for the public to see exactly what they'd be getting for what we’re spending for 10 years."

He also called last week's inflation report "alarming"

Read 4 tweets

Manu Raju

@mkraju

Dec 7, 2021

New — Language released to increase debt ceiling via a fast-track process and be approved by simple majority. McConnell briefing his leadership team on this new process bill — which would just be allowed this one time — and will brief conference at lunch.

This new bill, which has been negotiated by Schumer and McConnell, would allow the debt ceiling to be increased only up until Jan. 15 by a simple majority vote.

The new process would ensure the debt ceiling legislation cannot be amended and would be immediately considered by the Senate. Debate would be limited to 10 hours.

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