Manchin says he was at his 'wit's end' with Build Back Better negotiations


Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Monday stood squarely behind his decision to "quash negotiations over President Joe Biden's Build Back Better agenda, stating that he was at his "wit's end" in talks with the White House," NBC News reports.
The senator explained himself during a long radio interview on West Virginia Metro News, claiming that while he's "not blaming anybody" for the collapse of negotiations, Democrats may not have realized how resolute he stood in his positioning. "We've been way far apart philosophically," he said of progressives.
"I knew where they were and I knew what they could and could not do. They just never realized it because they figured, surely to God we can move one person, surely we can badger and beat one person up," Manchin went on. "Well, guess what? I'm from West Virginia. I'm not from where they're from, and they can just beat the living crap out of people and think they'll be submissive, period."
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.
The senator said he was at his "wit's end" in negotiations, and that the White House knows "the real reason" he had to back out.
When pushed to elaborate, he only did so vaguely, explaining that "it's staff driven. I understand staff, it's not the president, it's the staff. And they drove some things and they put some things out that were absolutely inexcusable and they know what it is and that's it."
He also criticized Democrats for approaching lawmaking "as if you have 55 or 60 senators that are Democrats and you can do whatever you want," sharing he only moved forward with the reconciliation process in the first place to roll back 2017 tax cuts.
"I would like to hope there are still Democrats who think like I do," he said, but if not, "then they'll have to push me where they want me."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodge
Speed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life
-
July 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Monday’s political cartoons include the price of produce without migrants, Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein reunited, and what happens when you call DHS
-
Secret Service 'failures' on Trump shooting
Speed Read Two new reports detail security breakdowns that led to attempts on the president's life
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress