- Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday blindsided Democrats by saying he will vote no on Biden's agenda.
- Sen. Chuck Schumer said he'll bring the bill to a vote in early 2022 to deliver what Democrats promised.
- "We will keep voting on it until we get something done," Schumer told his colleagues.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reassured his colleagues that he will do everything it takes to get President Joe Biden's agenda signed into law after West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin dealt a striking blow on Sunday, announcing in a TV interview he will not be voting for Democrats' Build Back Better package.
Schumer wrote in a Monday letter to his colleagues that "nearly all of us were disappointed by the decision to delay floor consideration of the Build Back Better Act because Senator Manchin could not come to an agreement with the president. However, neither that delay, nor other recent pronouncements, will deter us from continuing to find a way forward."
"We simply cannot give up," he added.
Manchin has long been a holdout of Biden's $1.75 trillion climate and social-spending proposal due to its hefty price tag, but during recent weeks he has been in negotiations with the White House and Democratic leadership to come to an agreement on the bill. That's why Sunday's announcement on Fox News blindsided his party when he said it's "a no on this legislation."
"If I can't go home and explain it to the people of West Virginia I can't vote for it," Manchin said. "I've tried everything humanly possible, I can't get there. This is a no."
He cited inflation as the primary reason for his decision — something he has expressed concern about in the past. The White House did not react kindly to the news, with White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki saying in a statement that Manchin's comments "represent a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position, and a breach of his commitments to the President and the Senator's colleagues in the House and Senate."
Manchin's Democratic colleagues in both the Senate and the House sharply criticized the announcement. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders took to CNN on Sunday to express his anger toward the centrist Democrat, saying that Manchin will "have a lot of explaining to do to the people of West Virginia."
"West Virginia is one of the poorest states in this country," Sanders said. "You got elderly people and disabled people who would like to stay at home. He's going to have to tell the people of West Virginia why he doesn't want to expand Medicare to cover dental hearing and eyeglasses."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter that Democrats "cannot accept no for an answer," and they must find a way to pass the Build Back Better agenda.
Schumer agreed, and he wrote in his Monday letter that he will bring a revised version of the bill to a vote "very early in the new year."
He said: "We are going to vote on a revised version of the House-passed Build Back Better Act — and we will keep voting on it until we get something done."