Rep. Jamaal Bowman Slams Manchin After Senator Says No to Build Back Better Plan

This clip is from the Dec. 20, 2021 broadcast.

President Biden's signature $1.75 trillion Build Back Better package appears to be dead after Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced on Fox News this Sunday he would not support the plan to expand the social safety net and combat the climate crisis. Without Manchin, Senate Democrats do not have enough votes to pass the landmark legislation, which has already been approved by the House.

"Democracy Now!" speaks with Congressmember Jamaal Bowman, who is one of six progressive Democrats in the House who correctly predicted that his party's decision to vote on the infrastructure bill prior to the Build Back Better package — as opposed to voting on them together — would risk throwing the $1.75 trillion package into jeopardy. "Special interests have been heavily involved in the negotiation process for Build Back Better throughout this entire year," says Bowman. President Biden "all but promised that he would be able to deliver Manchin," continues Bowman, "and as we can see, that has not happened."