President Joe Biden failed to mention one of his vital campaign proposals, the Build Back Better plan, during his first annual State of the Union address on Tuesday evening.
Although White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed President Joe Biden would “absolutely use the word inflation” during his speech, Biden absolutely omitted the Build Back Better Act, making no mention of the failed bill that died in Congress.
Some Democrat lawmakers claimed the Build Back Better plan is “not dead.” However, Biden’s failure to mention it by name during his first State of the Union address was a crucial turning point for the bill’s fate, which many Republican leaders already considered “dead” after it failed to get through the U.S. Senate.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) is mainly responsible for the nearly $2 trillion bill’s death after he backed out of negotiations with Biden’s White House over fears that it would push the inflation rate even higher. Additionally, Manchin is credited for getting the Build Back Better Act scaled down from its initial price point of $3.5 down to $1.75 trillion.
Instead of urging Congress to pass his multi-trillion dollar social spending plan, Biden emphasized certain sections of the package individually. For example, Biden repeatedly referred to “my plan” and called his strategy to address inflation “building a better America,” but he did not mention his failed bill.
“It’s not about the name of the bill,” a Biden administration official said. “It’s about the ideas. It’s about lowering costs for families.”
Manchin joked that the Biden administration “just can’t help themselves,” when asked about the White House’s efforts to revive certain aspects of the Build Back Better bill. “I don’t know where that came from. Nothing’s changed,” Manchin said. “That was a little bit far.”
Along with his failed Build Back Better Act, Biden did not mention the Chinese Communist Party’s threat to our national security, his promised student loan relief, the January 6 Capitol Riots, or mask mandates impacting school children.