Manchin: Talks would start ‘from scratch’

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Thursday that talks over President Biden’s sweeping climate and social spending package would be “starting from scratch,” throwing cold water on hopes of a quick revival.

“We’re going to start with a clean sheet of paper and start over,” Manchin told reporters, adding he doesn’t have talks scheduled with the White House.

Pressed if his previous $1.8 trillion offer to the White House was still on the table, Manchin indicated it wasn’t, saying Democrats will “just be starting from scratch.”

Manchin initially told reporters on Wednesday that he hadn’t yet heard from the White House on trying to break up the package and said Thursday that he didn’t have anything scheduled with the White House.

“If anybody wants to talk, I’ll always talk,” Manchin said, but when asked what the next step is, he added, “I can’t tell you.”

Biden opened the door to shrinking the plan, which was at the heart of his legislative agenda, telling reporters this week that “we’re going to have to probably break it up.”

What does it mean for health care? A slew of health care provisions in the package, from enhanced ObamaCare subsidies to Medicaid expansion in holdout states to lowering drug prices, are up in the air, dependent on the broader negotiations over Build Back Better.

The good news for Democratic health care advocates is that Manchin has pointed to lower drug prices in particular as an area where he wants action.