Inside Joe Manchin's private proposal to Biden

Last week, prior to the very public collapse of negotiations between the two, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) shared with the White House a "concrete counteroffer" for its hallmark spending bill, The Washington Post reports. The details of said proposal had not previously been made public.

According to three people familiar with the matter, Manchin said he would accept a "$1.8 trillion package that included universal prekindergarten for 10 years, an expansion of Obamacare and hundreds of billions of dollars to combat climate change," writes the Post. On climate change, Manchin more specifically felt comfortable backing an amount between $500 and 600 billion — less than what Democrats had originally sought.

The senator did not, however, include an extension of the expanded child tax credit, an extremely difficult exclusion for the White House to stomach.

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In any event, the negotiations process imploded on Sunday when Manchin reportedly blindsided the White House by declaring on Fox News that he'd be unable to support the Build Back Better agenda as it stands. On Monday, the lawmaker said during a radio interview he had reached his "wit's end" in the talks and the White House knows "the real reason" why.