Governors' Wind Energy Coalition

Senate Energy Chair Sen. Joe Manchin caused a stir when he told reporters that the Build Back Better bill was “dead,” reiterating the stance he’s had on the legislation since December. “There is no Build Back Better bill, I don’t know what you’re all talking about,” he told Insider’s Joseph Zeballos-Roig and Oma Seddiq.

But to be clear, he later specified that he was referring to the package that was under discussion last year, and that he’s not been involved in any recent talks about passing any of the measures he’s considered more palatable. He didn’t rule out a future climate package based on the old BBB, even though that isn’t at the forefront of his attention. And his remarks didn’t appear to shake climate-focused lawmakers.

“Sen. Manchin has said pretty clearly the bill formerly known as Build Back Better is not going anywhere … but that doesn’t mean some of the things we were going to do in that bill can’t be done,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) told Pro’s Josh Siegel.