The Biden administration is reportedly working on plans to send out two stimulus payments in February after the collapse of Biden’s Build Back Better bill.
There will be no government stimulus check in January due to Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) decision not to support Build Back Better. That means it cannot pass the Senate. One of Manchin’s complaints had been that the White House relied on budget gimmicks to mask the bill’s true cost. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that if the bill’s provisions, like the child tax credit, became permanent, the legislation would add $3 trillion to the national deficit.
In a statement explaining his inability to support the bill, Manchin said the total cost of the bill would be upwards of $4.5 trillion.
“My Democratic colleagues in Washington are determined to dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face,” Manchin said. “I cannot take that risk with a staggering debt of more than $29 trillion and inflation taxes that are real.”
How Some Americans Could Get Two Stimulus Checks in February
Meanwhile, White House officials said they’re talking to the Treasury Department and others about trying to pass new spending in January. They want to give Americans a double shot of stimulus in February, The Sun reports.
But is that a pipe dream? Some political analysts say it will only get tougher for the administration to pass legislation in 2022. It’s an election year in which many Americans will be feeling the pain of escalating inflation.
Biden needs Manchin’s vote to get any further legislation through the Senate. But in the wake of Manchin’s refusal to pass Build Back Better, the White House released an angry statement about Manchin. That only served to alienate the West Virginia senator.
Manchin Slams White House Staffers
As if to underscore that point, on Monday, Machin dug in further. He said in an interview with MetroNews Talkline that White House officials “retaliated” against him after he announced on Sunday that he could not support Build Back Better.
Manchin said White House staffers leaked some “absolutely inexcusable” things about him to the press in the wake of his decision. He said he believes the president was not responsible for the media offensive against him.
“This is staff. And they drove some things and they put some things out that were absolutely inexcusable,” Manchin said, per Fox News. “They know what it is. And that’s it.”
It could work to Biden’s advantage that Manchin doesn’t blame him personally. But it also looks like the senator is in no mood to help the White House. And almost certainly not in the mood to help pass more spending legislation now.
