Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., walks to a caucus lunch at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 17. Manchin said Sunday, Dec. 19, he cannot back a $2 trillion social safety net bill, dealing a potentially fatal blow to President Joe Biden’s signature legislation. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
Alan Fram and Hope YenThe Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) – Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said Sunday he cannot back his party’s signature $2 trillion social and environment bill, dealing a potentially fatal blow to President Joe Biden’s leading domestic initiative heading into an election year when Democrats’ narrow hold on Congress was already in peril.Manchin told “Fox News Sunday” that after five-and-a-half months of negotiations among Democrats in which he was his party’s chief obstacle to passage, “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.”Manchin’s choice of words seemed to crack the door open to continued talks with Biden and top congressional Democra
