Biden says he’s in talks with Sen. Joe Manchin and believes they’ll ‘bridge our differences and advance the Build Back Better plan’

• President Joe Biden said he believes Democrats will pass the Build Back Better Act.
• Biden said he is working with Sen. Joe Manchin and believes they will come to an agreement.
• The $2 trillion social-spending plan needs the support of every Democratic senator to pass.

President Joe Biden said Thursday the White House is in ongoing talks with Sen. Joe Manchin and that he believes the Build Back Better Act will pass.

“Senator Manchin has reiterated his support for the Build Back Better funding at the level of the framework plan I announced in September,” Biden said in a statement. “I believe that we will bridge our differences and advance the Build Back Better plan, even in the face of fierce Republican opposition.”

The fate of the $2 trillion social- and climate- spending bill, which Democrats hoped to approve by the end of the year, has been up in the air.

On Wednesday, reports said Manchin raised last-minute concerns over the child tax credit, further delaying the timeline of the bill’s passage, Insider’s Joseph Zeballos-Roig reported. But a person familiar with Manchin’s thinking told Insider “he has always been supportive of the child tax credit” but has stipulations on how much it should cost.

In his statement, Biden said he and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer are trying to get the bill to a vote on the Senate floor “as early as possible.”

Biden said he is also working with Senators on getting voting rights legislation passed.