Manchin announced that he is open to supporting revised Build Back Better legislation narrowly tailored to handle three matters: climate change, prescription drug prices and deficit reduction, Axios reported.
Manchin made the remarks in a private, closed-door dinner on Monday, indicating that he is serious about returning to the table, though for a much smaller version of Biden's original $3.5 trillion proposals, sources told Axios.
Manchin had previously announced that he was largely on board with the climate provisions in the reconciliation package. Some of those provisions came out of his committee, along with the clean energy tax provisions negotiated by Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and his House counterpart, Ways and Means Chair Richard Neal (D-Mass.).
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"Senator Manchin is always willing to engage in discussions about the best way to move our country forward," Sam Runyon, a spokesperson for the senator, explained in a statement Thursday, according to Fox News. "He remains seriously concerned about the financial status of our country and believes fighting inflation by restoring fairness to our tax system and paying down our national debt must be our first priority."
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"He has made clear that we can protect energy independence and respond to climate change at the same time," Runyon went on. "We must maintain energy independence by advancing an all-of-the-above energy policy to continue producing energy cleaner than anywhere else in the world. Additionally, he continues to believe we can and must lower the cost of prescription drugs for working Americans to ensure no family has to choose between life-saving medications and putting food on the table."
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Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., had long shown reservations regarding Biden's legislation, though the West Virginia senator effectively killed the bill in December 2021 by announcing on "Fox News Sunday" that he would be a definitive "no" on the legislation.
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Axios' sources say that Manchin has outlined an agreement including about $500 billion for climate and $1 trillion in new revenue throughout informal talks. He has not indicated any support for universal preschool or any of the other care-economy proposals included in Biden's initial "human infrastructure" package.
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Manchin is further reportedly insisting on reducing the deficit with at least half of the revenue from new corporate taxes, as well as the estimated savings from allowing Medicare to directly negotiate the cost of prescription drugs.
Any skinnier Build Back Better bill will face other hurdles, including possible opposition from Sinema and reluctance on the part of progressive Democrats to vote for a smaller bill.
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