Jen Psaki
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a daily briefing at the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House May 4, 2021 in Washington, DC.Alex Wong/Getty Images
  • The White House ripped Manchin for opposing Biden's spending bill on Sunday.
  • Psaki said it amounted to a "sudden and inexplicable reversal" in his position.
  • Democrats can't approve the bill without Manchin's vote in the 50-50 Senate.

The White House is taking the gloves off with Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

On Sunday, a statement from White House press secretary Jen Psaki assailed Manchin and accused him of breaking his word with President Joe Biden.

"If his comments on FOX and written statement indicate an end to that effort, they 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," Psaki said in the statement.

Psaki added that Manchin had personally handed Biden a $1.8 trillion framework that he indicated could get his backing. But they would continue pressing Manchin to see if he'd backtrack from his position once again.

Manchin on Sunday announced he was opposed to President Joe Biden's $2 trillion social spending bill in a Fox News interview, effectively dooming the centerpiece of the president's economic agenda.

The White House earlier in the week said it was having "productive" discussions with Manchin. But now it's clear that the negotiations were going nowhere with the conservative Democrat.

Manchin's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The story will be updated.

Read the original article on Business Insider