Power of one: Manchin is singularly halting Biden’s agenda

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., walks past reporters after attending a lengthy Democratic Caucus meeting as the Senate continues to grapple with end-of-year tasks at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. President Joe Biden's vast social and environment package is in limbo and party leaders' hopes of resolving holdout Sen. Joe Manchin's demands and considering the bill in this year's waning days seem all but dead. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., walks past reporters after attending a lengthy Democratic Caucus meeting as the Senate continues to grapple with end-of-year tasks at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. President Joe Biden's vast social and environment package is in limbo and party leaders' hopes of resolving holdout Sen. Joe Manchin's demands and considering the bill in this year's waning days seem all but dead. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

By LISA MASCARO and FARNOUSH AMIRI / The Associated Press December 17, 2021 6 min read

WASHINGTON (AP) – Sen. Joe Manchin settled in at President Joe Biden’s family home in Delaware on a Sunday morning in the fall as the Democrats worked furiously to gain his support on their far-reaching domestic package.

The two-hour-long session was the kind of special treatment being showered on the West Virginia senator – the president at one point even showing Manchin around his Wilmington home.

But months later, despite Democrats slashing Biden’s big bill in half and meeting the senator’s other demands, Manchin is no closer to voting yes.

In an extraordinary display of political power in the evenly split 50-50 Senate, a single senator is about to seriously set back an entire presidential agenda.

“We’re frustrated and disappointed,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, the majority whip. “Very frustrated,” said another Democratic senator granted anonymity to frankly discuss the situation Thursday.