Schumer tells Sen. Joe Manchin and fellow Democrats that Biden spending plan is still alive

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told fellow Democratic senators that he would push to pass President Biden’s giant social-spending plan, despite the game-changing opposition of rebel Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia.

In an end-of-year virtual party caucus meeting Tuesday night, Schumer told Manchin and other Democrats that he is determined to hold votes on the $1.8 trillion Build Back Better plan in January.

“It’s not over until the clock runs out, and the clock has not run out,” Schumer told colleagues, according to a Democratic source.

Manchin took part in the 90-minute call and repeated his objections to the bill, which he says costs too much and could wind up increasing the deficit or pushing up inflation.

There were no fireworks despite the bitter disappointment about Manchin’s dramatic announcement that he won’t vote for the bill as written.

“Everyone’s voice was heard, from Manchin to Bernie,” a source said, referring to progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) “And the one thing everyone agrees upon is to keep talking.”

Manchin called it an “honest conversation” with colleagues, an aide said.

Schumer repeated the plans he outlined in a Monday “Dear Colleagues” letter for a vote on the package in January despite the fact that Manchin announced last weekend he would vote against it.

Democrats need all 50 Democratic senators to support the bill to get it passed in the evenly divided chamber, where Vice President Kamala Harris can cast a tiebreaking vote.

Democrats hope they can get the mercurial senator from coal country back to the negotiating table after the dust settles from his acrimonious preholiday attack on the bill.

Manchin had a “cordial” chat with Biden after the weekend blowup. The president insists he will still convince his old Senate colleague to come around.

Schumer has also vowed to bring voting rights bills to the Senate floor in January, possibly in the first week after lawmakers return from a holiday break.

Manchin and all 49 other Democrats support the measures along with at least one Republican lawmaker, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).

But Republicans could block consideration of the voting laws with their filibuster power. Manchin and fellow Democratic moderate Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) firmly opposed rolling back the arcane rule or even tweaking it to exclude reforms.

The GOP is gleefully celebrating the Democratic divisions and even seeking to exploit them more.

Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) Wednesday issued an open invitation for Manchin to switch parties and all but promised he could continue as chair of the powerful energy committee if he does join the GOP.

“He feels like a man alone,” McConnell said of Manchin on Hugh Hewitt’s radio talk show. “If he were to join us, he’d be joining a lot of folks who have similar views on a whole range of issues.”

McConnell said Manchin is a fiscally conservative fish out of water in the increasingly progressive Democratic Party.

“I think what Manchin is discovering is there just aren’t any Democrats left in the Senate that are ... terribly concerned about debt and deficit and inflation,” McConnell said.

Manchin has repeatedly insisted he is a proud Democrat and has no intention of switching parties, though he faces an extremely tough reelection battle in 2024 in the now ruby red state that former President Trump won by nearly 40%.

McConnell says he has pitched Manchin for years on jumping ship especially as both their home states have veered hard to the right. If Manchin did make the move, it would restore McConnell as majority leader and give him virtual carte blanche to block Biden’s agenda.

For now the Senate is evenly divided with 50 senators for each party. That gives Democrats control of the body with Harris able to cast tiebreaking votes.