- A new Washington Post story describes Biden's attempts to get Joe Manchin to back his spending plan.
- The effort fell apart spectacularly when Manchin pulled his support in a Fox News interview.
- Per the Post, an angry Biden tried to call Manchin, but the senator had his phone turned off.
Sen. Joe Manchin missed an angry message from President Joe Biden after tanking his signature $2 trillion Build Back Better in a Fox News interview then turning his phone off, The Washington Post reported.
Biden spent months negotiating with Manchin, whose support in the Senate was vital for getting his plan through.
Per the Post, Biden came close to securing his backing for a $1.8 trillion package covering social care and climate change.
But the negotiations fell apart after the White House ignored a request from Manchin's office to remove the senator's name from a statement saying that negotiations were still going on, the Post reported.
Manchin, furious, is said to have texted a Biden aide to say that the statement was "unconscionable and extremely dangerous" at a time when activists were targeting himself and his family with protests for holding up the bill.
A few days later, Manchin in an interview live on Fox News announced he would not be backing the bill. With Manchin firmly against it, the bill stood no chance of passing and was widely recognized as being dead.
The interview marked the breakdown of negotiations, reported the Post. The outlet said he missed a frustrated call from the president after the interview because he'd turned his phone off.
When Biden and Manchin did later speak the exchange was reportedly "heated and tense," and Biden in conversation with aides subsequently expressed his doubt about Manchin's intentions, according to the report.
In order to get the bill through the Senate, the Biden administration needed the backing of all 50 of its senators using a mechanism called budget reconciliation.
The failure to secure Manchin's support means a key element of Biden's domestic agenda is stalled, and pledges to boost funding for climate change initiatives, education, housing and social care initiatives remain unfulfilled.
Negotiations are ongoing between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Manchin over a slimmed-down version of the bill.