Manchin kills Build Back Better and gives nation – and Republicans – a big win

When Sen. Joe Manchin confirmed on Sunday that he is a no vote on Build Back Better, essentially killing it, it was vindication for the much-pilloried moderate GOP votes for infrastructure.

It’s hard to overstate what a bullet was just dodged by the nation with the downfall of Build Back Better. 

To be sure, there was much to object to in the infrastructure bill, from electric charging stations to tree equity, but for all its faults, there was also a lot of hard infrastructure in the legislation. Nineteen Republicans voted for it in the Senate, and it was widely popular with voters. Put another way, politically, sacrificing by conceding on the infrastructure bill was like giving up a pawn.