I Wouldn’t Say Goodbye Yet, but BBB Is Certainly Gasping for Air

Bye bye, BBB? | Washington Examiner

With BIF enacted, neither Sen. Manchin nor Sen. Sinema has any incentive to support the $1.75 trillion bill that would drastically expand the welfare state. The progressives gave up the leverage they had in terms of votes in the House of Representatives. Manchin or Sinema can now safely come out in opposition to BBB.

Even before BIF passed the House, months after the Senate had done so, Manchin already expressed reservations about the BBB. His concerns included paid family leave provisions and how the BBB would affect inflation. And, right now, inflationary concerns are only growing. Meanwhile, Sinema has come out in opposition to certain tax increases, limiting how revenue could be raised under BBB.

Richman thinks it will never pass. He’s more optimistic than I am. But it certainly seems like Manchin and Sinema are still firm “no”’s. I don’t know how much arm-twisting can be done. I suspect they’re going to have to re-write part of the bill and cut it again. If they cut it too much, they’ll lose the support of the progressive wing, though. Biden is going to have to be charming and walk a tightrope. Neither of these are typically in his skillset. We shall see.