Democrats Limp to 2022 Fighting History, Biden’s Low Ratings
- Plans include touting bill that still awaits vote in Senate
- Senator Manchin says he cannot support plan as it stands
Photographer: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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The indefinite delay of President Joe Biden’s signature domestic policy bill has derailed the Democrats’ strategy to stave off a Republican onslaught in the 2022 congressional elections and the party may be left without a fallback option.
Democratic leaders in the Senate had announced that a vote previously expected before Christmas would be punted into next year, a decision some strategists fear could prove fatal to the legislation’s prospects. Then on Sunday, Senator Joe Manchin effectively torpedoed the Build Back Better plan, saying he simply could not support the package as it stands -- further clouding plans to campaign on its passage.