Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) says he believes lawmakers will “find the core” of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill and pass it.
On Sunday, CBS News’ Margaret Brennan explained, “Even the White House economist is using the past tense when referring to Build Back Better.”
She added, “It’s dead. You don’t have the votes in the Senate.”
Kaine responded, “You’re right that it’s dead. The most recent version of it is not going to happen. If you look at the core of the bill, I think the core is education and workforce and things like reduced childcare and education expenses, workforce training, and then support for the workforce in areas like healthcare.”
He continued, “There are other pieces of the bill that are more controversial. I still believe we’re going to find the core of this bill. Whatever we call it, we’re going to find the core of the bill and pass it. And it will deal directly with some of these inflation concerns.”
Watch his comments below:
Senator @TimKaine on President Biden's Build Back Better Agenda: “You’re right that it’s dead, the most recent version of it is not going to happen,” suggesting some components of it might get broken out. pic.twitter.com/SwOuMFpA4n
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 16, 2022
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) said in December he would not support Biden’s bill, essentially killing the legislation.
“And I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Manchin continued, “This is a no on this legislation. I have tried everything I know to do. And the President has worked diligently. He’s been wonderful to work with. He knows I’ve had concerns and the problems I’ve had and, you know, the thing that we should all be directing our attention towards the variant, a Covid that we have coming back at us in so many different aspects in different ways, it’s affecting our lives again.”
He also released a statement after the interview, saying, “I have always said, ‘If I can’t go back home and explain it, I can’t vote for it.’ Despite my best efforts, I cannot explain the sweeping Build Back Better Act in West Virginia and I cannot vote to move forward on this mammoth piece of legislation.”
Earlier this month, Manchin told reporters he is not going “to talk about Build Back Better anymore because I think I’ve been very clear on that: There [are] no negotiations going on at this time, OK.”
