It was a statement that the White House called sudden, inexplicable, and a breach of Democratic

Senator Joe Manchin's commitments to the president.

I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can't. I've tried everything

humanly possible. I can't get there. That was Manchin Sunday on Fox News, sticking a knife

in the president's Build Back Better Act. Build Back Better contains some of President Biden's

biggest agenda items, including half a trillion dollars in climate investments.

The Biden administration has been working to convince Manchin to cast a key vote for Build Back Better

in the Senate, because the Democratic majority there is razor thin. But after months of negotiations

and courting and concessions to Manchin, you're done. This is a no. This is a no.

No. On this legislation, I have tried everything I know to do. I've always said this, Brett,

if I can't go home and explain it to the people of West Virginia, I can't vote for it.

The idea that Joe Manchin says he can't explain this back home to his people is a farce.

Now progressive Democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are saying, I told you so.

She argued this week on MSNBC that the White House was wrong to rely on Manchin to support what

some Democrats see as a water-down version of Biden's original, more ambitious plans.

And we cannot allow the climate crisis to become a catastrophe, which is what is represented right now

with this bill going by the wayside or being trimmed down any further. Some of us are actually

going to have to live on this planet in 50 years. And right now, what happens right now determines

how bad it's going to be? Consider this, without more action, the US will fall short of key goals

designed to prevent the worst effects of climate change. We will fact check Joe Manchin's reasons

for opposing that action and look at what happens next. From NPR, I'm Elsa Chang. It's Thursday,

December 23rd. It's considered this from NPR. So here's the drama, sources tell NPR that

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