Manchin and Sinema's 'very different' bottom lines could sink Build Back Better plan, Biden ally says


As President Biden and congressional Democrats try to push their large social and climate policy bill over the finish line, one question dominates the calculus: What will Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) accept to support Biden's Build Back Better plan? They are such a formidable centrist obstacle, they even have a celebrity couple name: Manchinema — or maybe Sinemin.
Unfortunately for Democrats, Politico reports early Wednesday, a major "part of solving the Manchinema puzzle is that the 74-year-old former governor from a coal state and the 45-year-old former Green Party activist from Arizona are at odds on some major policies."
"Manchin and Sinema want very different things, both in terms of revenue and programs," a source close to Biden tells Politico. "If you just took their currently presented red lines you wouldn't have enough left to get this past progressives in the House and Senate. It wouldn't raise enough money and it wouldn't do enough big programs."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sinema, who "only negotiates with the White House," is leery of the proposals to lower prescription drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate them, Politico reports, adding that this is "one of the most popular policies on the Democrats' menu of options and many party strategists believe Democrats owe their House majority to this issue." Manchin is "much more willing to support a bolder version of drug pricing reform," Politico says, but he "opposes several Democratic ideas to price carbon pollution, while Sinema favors them."
"So, like where the hell is the overlap?" the Biden confidant asks — and Politico has an answer, though it won't be popular in the Democratic caucus: "The path to getting the total bill to above $2 trillion may require dedicating $100-200 billion to paying down the debt, a priority that both Manchin and Sinema actually agree on." You can read more about what Manchin and Sinema want — and how Democratic groups and activists are using both "honey" and "vinegar" to get the two on board — at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Quiz of The Week: 12 – 19 July
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
Do we need more right-wing scientists?
Talking Point Academics have a 'responsibility' to demonstrate why research matters to people who are not politically left-leaning, says Wellcome boss
-
The week's best photos
In Pictures A missile garden, a line of lava, and more
-
Fed chair Powell in Trump's firing line
Speed Read The president considers removing Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell
-
Trump trashes supporters over Epstein files
speed read The president lashed out on social media following criticism of his administration's Jeffrey Epstein investigation
-
Judge nixes wiping medical debt from credit checks
Speed Read Medical debt can now be included in credit reports
-
Grijalva wins Democratic special primary for Arizona
Speed Read She will go up against Republican nominee Daniel Butierez to fill the US House seat her father held until his death earlier this year
-
US inflation jumps as Trump tariffs 'bite'
Speed Read Consumer prices are climbing and the inflation rate rose to its highest level in four months
-
SCOTUS greenlights mass DOE firings
Speed Read The Supreme Court will allow the Trump administration to further shrink the Education Department
-
Cuomo announces third-party run for NYC mayor
Speed Read He will go up against progressive Democratic powerhouse Zohran Mamdani and incumbent Mayor Eric Adams
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life