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The Build Back Better Act — at least as currently written — is dead, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said Sunday in an appearance on Fox News Sunday. Whether it can be resurrected in some new form depends on Manchin.
The bill, which proposed $1.75 trillion in social and climate spending, has been on shaky ground for a while. Despite the measure being a key part of President Joe Biden’s agenda, Manchin has for months raised concerns about the bill’s scope and cost. Now, Manchin, whose vote is crucial given Democrats’ slim majority in the Senate, says he won’t support it because of concerns about the resurgent Covid-19 pandemic and rising inflation.