Dec 20, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Schumer vows to "get something done" on Biden plan

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrives on Capitol Hill last Wednesday. Photo: Kent Nishimura/L.A. Times via Getty Images

Despite Sen. Joe Manchin's desertion, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer tells colleagues in a letter this morning that he plans a vote on a revised Build Back Better "very early in the new year."

Schumer said he wants every senator to have "the opportunity to make their position known on the Senate floor, not just on television."

"We are going to vote on a revised version of the House-passed Build Back Better Act — and we will keep voting on it until we get something done," Schumer writes.

Why it matters: Schumer's letter gives Democrats, who control the executive and legislative branches, a path toward restoring momentum as the midterm year starts, rather than opening with an empty plate.

Schumer also said the Senate will consider voting rights legislation in January — "as early as the first week back."
President Biden last week called voting rights "the single-biggest" domestic issue.

Between the lines: These plans put Manchin on the spot twice, Axios managing editor Margaret Talev notes.

Reality check: Schumer acknowledged that despite accomplishments to be proud of, "this session has also led to moments of deep discontent and frustration.

But he said Manchin's "pronouncements" won't "deter us from continuing to try to find a way forward. We simply cannot give up."

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Schumer vows to "get something done" on Biden plan

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