Joe Biden’s social and environmental measures thwarted by Joe Manchin

Once again, Joe Biden’s plans come up against Joe Manchin. This Democratic senator from the mining state of West Virginia, who defines himself as a “Moderate conservative democrat”, refused, Monday 1^er November, to guarantee his vote for the passage of the two gigantic investment plans of Joe Biden, suspended for weeks in Congress. The perfect division of the Senate places it in a position of strength in many debates.

The fate of the two programs by which the American president intends to rebuild and transform the United States is the subject of intense negotiations on Capitol Hill. The first component, an envelope of 1,200 billion dollars (1,033 billion euros) to renovate the country’s dilapidated roads, bridges and transport, is supported by the Democrats and some Republicans.

Approved by the Senate in August, the program has since been blocked in the House of Representatives by the progressive democrats who demand to vote at the same time a social and climatic component called “Build Back Better”, d ‘an initial amount of 1,750 billion dollars (1,500 billion euros). They fear that the centrists will refuse to support this very expensive project, after having obtained the check for the infrastructure.

Democrats Divided

The bill for the social plan, which provides 555 billion for the climate, has already been halved to rally the most moderate Democrats, including Joe Manchin who, despite everything, has not yet wanted to give him his explicit support.

“I’ve always been clear: if I can’t go home and justify [ces programmes de dépenses], I cannot vote for “, he said at a press conference, expressing his concerns about the impact of these plans on US public debt and inflation. “Political quarrels must end”, he added.

The White House, anxious to offer a political victory to Joe Biden, whose popularity is declining, reacted in the wake. “Senator Manchin says he is ready to support a Build Back Better plan that fights inflation, is fiscally responsible and will create jobs. The plan that the Chamber is finalizing meets these criteria ”, supported the spokeswoman for the US executive, Jen Psaki.