Democratic bitterness, rage follow Manchin’s ‘no’ on Biden bill

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December 20, 2021 at 7:43 p.m. EST

Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) walks through the U.S. Capitol last week. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

correction

A previous version of this article said incorrectly that President Biden and Sen. Manchin spoke by phone on Monday night. The conversation was on Sunday night, according to two people with knowledge of the call.

The White House vowed Monday to “work like hell” to get President Biden’s $2 trillion social policy overhaul through Congress following the bombshell announcement by Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.) on Sunday that he could no longer support the president’s signature legislation.

But despite efforts by various Democrats to signal that the bill could be revived in the new year, Monday saw evidence of fissures and retrenchment, as Manchin complained that he’d been badgered by fellow Democrats and liberals accused him of betrayal. His cooperation is crucial in an evenly divided Senate where every Democratic vote is needed to change the country’s health-care, education, climate, immigration and tax laws.