Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) was hoping to deliver an early Christmas present for Joe Biden.
Schumer had hoped to put the Build Back Better (BBB) plan on the Senate floor for a vote before Christmas break.
Still seeing significant infighting within his party, it now seems unlikely Schumer will deliver.
Sorry, Chuck
Senator Manchin (D-W.V.) has been getting all the press, but he is far from Schumer’s only problem right now in getting this legislation passed.
Even if he gets Manchin to cave, there is still Senator Sinema (D-AZ) to deal with.
Sinema was a major player in the bipartisan deal that has already been passed.
She has also been against many of the provisions in the reconciliation bill.
While she has had some discussions with party leadership on this front, she has been very quiet in the media, so we really have no idea what her make or break points are right now.
Point being, time is running out and Schumer still does not have Manchin in line, let alone Sinema.
Another issue is that the Senate Parliamentarian has not ruled on all issues within the bill.
One point has already been contested, however.
The Parliamentarian has already ruled on the amnesty in the bill for 6.5 million illegals.
Many other points in the bill remain a mystery on this front, with a Democrat aide stating, “I think there are issues with the Parliamentarian’s office.
“I don’t think there’s the person power in the parliamentarian’s office to get everything done quickly.”
Until they have the ruling, it is unlikely the bill will be put on the floor for debate.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) added, “The things that I’m immediately working on that are unresolved remain unresolved albeit perhaps narrowed or given some added context but I can’t point you to any particular thing that’s been nailed down. It’s pretty amorphous and there are lots of issues.”
The fact it is taking so long to get this bill passed when Democrats have the numbers is yet another massive blow to the Biden administration.
Biden ran on unity, yet he cannot even get his party to agree on particulars.
Just another embarrassment to add to Biden’s stack.
Source: The Hill
