Build Back Almost: Historic Legislation Falls One Vote Short

A roundup of news on the planning-related consequences of the reported demise of the Build Back Better Act—a $2 trillion social spending bill intended to accompany the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act approved earlier this year.

2 minute read

December 21, 2021, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell

Protesters at the Hart Senate Office Building carry signs calling for Sen. Manchin to support the full Build Back Better Bill.

Protesters carry signs calling for U.S. Senator Manchin to support the full Build Back Better bill at the at the Hart Senate Office Building on October 27, 2021. | Phil Pasquini / Shutterstock

By now you have probably seen the news that the $2 trillion social spending bill known as the Build Back Better Act (BBB) has been dealt what appears to be a final defeat by U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia). The bill, once included as a portion of a larger budget reconciliation bill, was split off from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to ensure the latter's approval in November, but with the promise of a consensus on BBB by the end of the year.

The demise of BBB means hundreds of billions in potential projects and programs directly related to the field of planning have suddenly vanished. Planetizen will continue to monitor the news for more insight into the consequences of BBB's failure for planners around the country, but a roundup of what we have found so far follows. So far, articles can be organized into two categories: climate change and political intrigue. As of this writing, there is not yet post-Manchin news and commentary on the placed-based initiatives, affordable housing programs, and zoning reform programs proposed in BBB.

Climate Change

Joe Manchin may have doomed American climate policy (Vox, December 19)
Manchin Rejects Landmark Legislation, Putting Biden’s Climate Goals at Risk (The New York Times, December 19)
Manchin says Build Back Better's climate measures are risky. That's not true (NPR, December 19)
Manchin’s opposition to Build Back Better bill undercuts Biden’s climate agenda (The Washington Post, December 19)
Manchin killing Build Back Better is ‘devastating’ to climate change action, experts say (Yahoo News, December 20
'I'm kind of speechless': Democrats scramble to salvage climate provisions after Manchin sinks Build Back Better (CNN, December 20)

Politics

Joe Manchin Kills the Build Back Better Bill (The New Yorker, December 19)
Joe Manchin Just Tore Out the Heart of Biden’s Agenda (Rolling Stone, December 19)
Schumer vows vote on Build Back Better legislation despite Manchin’s opposition (The Washington Post, December 20)

Build Back Better Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Joe Manchin Biden Administration Climate Change

James Brasuell

James Brasuell, AICP is the former editorial director of Planetizen and is now a senior public affairs specialist at the Southern California Association of Governments. James managed all editorial content and direction for Planetizen from 2014 to 2023, and was promoted from manging editor to editorial director in 2021. After a first career as a class five white water river guide in Trinity County in Northern California, James started his career in Los Angeles as a volunteer at a risk reduction center in Skid Row.

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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