During Monday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was repeatedly asked about Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) announcement that he would not be voting for President Biden’s Build Back Better Act.
Manchin had publicly declared during a Fox News interview the previous day that he would be voting “no” on the “mammoth piece of legislation” and that he had “reservations” on the bill since he had heard about it “five and a half months ago.”
In response to Manchin’s announcement, Psaki released a statement claiming that Manchin’s comments were “at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances. Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington, to support the Build Back Better framework that the President then subsequently announced. Senator Manchin pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework ‘in good faith.’”
At the press briefing, multiple reporters brought up the situation between Manchin and President Biden, asking if Biden felt “betrayed” by Manchin’s decision.
“Does the President feel betrayed by [Joe Manchin]?” ABC’s Cecilia Vega asked.
“I think that our statement yesterday made pretty clear what we fee — what was the — the — the factual depiction of events that happened,” Psaki replied.
“Where do lines of communication stand at this point between either the President and Joe Manchin, Joe Manchin and the White House staff that you spoke about? Is there contact at all?” Vega pressed.
“I’m just not going to assess or give you an update on specifics from here,” Psaki said.
ABC's @CeciliaVega: "Does the President feel betrayed by [Joe Manchin]?"
Psaki: "I think that our statement yesterday made pretty clear what we fee — what was the — the — the factual depiction of events that happened." pic.twitter.com/Jdm0OrOVXK
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) December 20, 2021
