| President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda is in jeopardy this week after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) indicated he could vote against it while demanding that the House pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill after sitting on it for nearly three months. After days of questions surrounding the future of the president’s plan, Manchin weighed in during a press conference on Monday, making clear that he is not yet on board with the party’s massive social spending proposal. He also expressed exasperation with progressives for continuing to hold up the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package. “The political games have to stop,” Manchin told reporters in the Capitol. “Holding this (infrastructure) bill hostage is not going to work in getting my support for the reconciliation bill.” In recent days, Manchin signaled his support for the package’s $1.75 trillion price tag and has made statements indicating that he could ultimately back the legislation, but on Monday, his misgivings returned. He said he is not a rubber stamp for the still-evolving framework the president endorsed last week. "I'm open to supporting a final bill that helps move our country forward. But I'm equally open to voting against a bill that hurts our country,” Manchin said, pointing to inflation and budget deficits as his primary concerns (The Hill). CNN: Manchin warns he may vote against Biden social safety net plan as he criticizes key aspects. The New York Times: Manchin raises doubts on safety net bill, complicating path to quick vote. The Hill: House Democrats brush off Manchin. Axios: Manchin's $3.9 trillion pause. The West Virginia centrist’s remarks come after months of warnings that his appetite for the package has been lukewarm (at best). At various points, Manchin called for the then-$3.5 trillion proposal to be chopped down to $1.5 trillion, said that Democrats should delay any vote until 2022 due to economic concerns, questioned proposed pay-fors and tax increases, and opposed specific issues and provisions the Democratic bill was initially intended to tackle, including paid family leave and an energy program intended to fight climate change. The Hill: Progressive Rep. Cori Bush (Mo.) ripped Manchin over his spending bill opposition, referring to the senator as “anti-Black, anti-child, anti-woman and anti-immigrant.” She said, "Joe Manchin does not get to dictate the future of our country.” Manchin’s comments also drew the ire of centrist colleagues, who embrace the infrastructure measure that remains in limbo in the House. Manchin has championed its provisions as beneficial to West Virginians, and he helped a group of senators craft and pass the bipartisan bill. “I think Joe made a mistake today by going out and making this news conference,” said Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.). “I think at this moment in time, trust is a hard thing. I don't want to give people excuses to vote against the BIF or against reconciliation,” he added, using the acronym for the bipartisan infrastructure framework (The New York Times). Among progressives, Manchin’s remarks were the exact opposite of what they hoped to hear. Despite that, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chairwoman of the Congressional Progressives Caucus, predicted moments after Manchin’s press conference that the House will pass “both bills in the next couple of days,” adding she believes Biden can bring Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) across the finish line to support the reconciliation blueprint. “The president says he can get 51 votes for the bill. We are going to trust him. ... We're tired of continuing to wait for one or two people,” she told CNN. The Hill: White House “confident” Manchin will back reconciliation framework. However, the timing of those votes in the upper chamber remains an open question. House Democrats had hoped to vote on it today, but that seems increasingly unlikely, as Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told the House Democratic Caucus on Monday evening that the House Rules Committee is expected to meet on Wednesday, giving members until then to nail down the final text of the $1.75 trillion budget bill, including a deal on prescription drug pricing (Politico). Alexander Bolton and Jordain Carney, The Hill: Manchin frustrates Democrats with latest outburst. The Hill: Democrats race to reach deal on prescription drug pricing. Bloomberg Government: Democrats’ latest immigration proposal teed up for Senate review. The Hill: Infrastructure bill could upset debt limit timeline. Today is Election Day for residents of Virginia and New Jersey, and what voters decide is expected to loop back to Democrats’ agenda in Washington. Surveys in the closely watched Virginia gubernatorial race show Democrat Terry McAuliffe (D) and Republican Glenn Youngkin neck and neck as voters head to polling locations to conclude a slugfest that may come down to the wire. The Hill’s Julia Manchester has a handy guide to at least five potential developments to watch in the contest that could serve as a bellwether for next year’s midterm contests, and The Associated Press published its preview this morning. Niall Stanage writes in his latest Memo that Virginia’s gubernatorial showdown will reveal crucial clues about the national mood, issues and voter priorities. Biden carried the state by 10 points a year ago, but 12 months later, many political analysts in both parties say Republican chances of capturing more governorships and flipping the House and Senate by 2023 have expanded. Sabato’s Crystal Ball, based at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, moved the “vexing” gubernatorial race in a state that trends blue to “lean Republican” (and attracted quite a bit of social media blowback for the reasoning). “A narrow win by either candidate would suggest a significant falloff for Democrats from their strong Virginia performances in the Trump era and represent, at the very least, a bright red `check engine’ light at the midpoint of the Democrats’ journey from last year’s presidential race to next year’s midterm,” the political scientists wrote on Monday. The Hill: In a race that McAuliffe tried to tie to Washington as well as Biden’s leadership and a long list of criticisms of former President Trump, congressional progressives may have acted too late to boost McAuliffe’s narrative and may be bruised by the result in Virginia. The Associated Press: Competitive Virginia governor’s race to test Biden’s appeal. More in politics: The Hill’s Reid Wilson interviewed Brad Raffensperger, Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, who said Trump threatened him during conversations last year (audio of an hour long phone call between the two is HERE). He won't say whether the former president is morally fit for office, should he decide to run again. … A bipartisan Ohio redistricting commission opted to punt responsibility to redraw congressional district maps and handed the decision to a state legislature overwhelmingly controlled by Republicans (The Hill). … The estranged wife of Republican Senate candidate Sean Parnell of Pennsylvania testified in a divorce and child custody hearing on Monday that her husband tried to choke her and hit one of their three school-age children. In a statement released by his campaign, the candidate disputed Laurie Parnell’s testimony and said he would “set the record straight” when he testifies next week (The Philadelphia Inquirer). | 
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