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Why did Joe Manchin back out of Build Back Better plan? Internet says he's 'greedy'

The Build Back Better Act is a social spending and climate package considered a key element of President Joe Biden's agenda

Joe Manchin has been slammed for breaking his word after he publicly said a 'no' to President Joe Biden's Build Back Better initiative. This development comes after several months of negotiations over the social spending legislation. The Build Back Better Act is a social spending and climate package considered a key element of President Biden's agenda.

If all 50 Democrats pass the bill in the Senate, it is expected to increase funding for government health-insurance programmes, expand tax credits for low-income families, provide government-funded universal preschool and invest billions of dollars in addressing climate change. It passed the House of Representatives last month. According to Republicans, however, the legislation will fuel inflation and damage the economy.

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"Senator Manchin promised to continue conversations in the days ahead, and to work with us to reach that common ground," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. "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."

"Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington, to support the Build Back Better framework that the President then subsequently announced," Psaki said. "Senator Manchin pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework 'in good faith."

On Sunday, December 19, Manchin told Fox News, "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. This is a no."

In a tweet, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina slammed the While House's response to Manchin's decision. "The White House statement attacking Senator Manchin for deciding to vote no regarding Build Back Better is “Baghdad Bob” laughable. The White House continues to repeat the lie that Build Back Better is fully paid for," Graham wrote.

"The White House’s lame attempts to attack CBO and Senator Manchin to hide the devastating impact of Build Back Better is not working and will not work," he tweeted.

Joe Manchin slammed for saying 'no'

A majority of social media users slammed Manchin for failing keep his word. "Don’t forget: this isn’t just about Joe Manchin. It’s about the dark money and billionaires and coal interests behind him, which keep winning at ours and the planet’s expense. Manchin is a living breathing reminder that America is often more oligarchic than it is democratic," British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan wrote. Actor Rob Reiner wrote, "I don’t remember marking my presidential ballot for Joe Manchin. He’s single handedly denying Americans Evironmental Protection, Pre-K, Child Care, Affordable Prescription Drugs. If he kills Voting Rights, he will deny US Democracy."

"Joe Manchin’s own brother had to sure him to get back a 1.7 million loan he made to save their family business. (He also failed to disclose this debt on Senate financial forms) Joe has a long history of going back on his word in the name of being a greedy prick," one user wrote, while another wrote, "Senator Joe Manchin is exactly like Trump. He only cares about his name in the headlines. Good or bad." "The system was created when there were only 13 colonial-settler states. A form of government this old and archaic is inherently flawed and easily exploited by obstructionists like Joe Manchin — who are beholden only to 21st century corporate venality," said one user.