Schumer: Senate Will Vote on Build Back Better in the New Year

BY JACK CROWE

December 20, 2021

Good morning and welcome to the News Editor's Roundup, a weekly newsletter that will ensure you're up to date on the developments in politics, business, and culture that will shape the week's news cycle — as well as those that might escape mainstream attention.

Schumer: Senate Will Vote on Build Back Better in the New Year

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday vowed that the Senate will vote on the Build Back Better Act in the new year, saying Democrats will "try to find a way forward" on the legislation after Senator Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) effectively killed the bill one day earlier.

Schumer wrote a letter to Democratic colleagues saying they should be proud of their accomplishments in the first session of the 117th Congress, including the passage of the American Rescue Plan and the bipartisan infrastructure bill, adding that lawmakers should also be "determined to finish the work that remains undone."

"But this session has also led to moments of deep discontent and frustration," Schumer wrote. "That frustration was evident in the past week as nearly all of us were disappointed by the decision to delay floor consideration of the Build Back Better Act because Senator Manchin could not come to an agreement with the president."

Senator Manchin Pulls His Support for Build Back Better

Senator Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) said Sunday that he "cannot vote to continue with" President Biden's nearly $2 trillion social spending plan, dashing Democrats' hopes that the moderate Democrat could be persuaded to support the bill.

"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," Manchin said during an appearance on Fox News Sunday.

"You're done — this is a no," host Bret Baier said.

"This is a no, on this legislation," Manchin responded. "I have tried everything I know to do."

Psaki: Manchin Pulling Support for Build Back Better Is 'Sudden and Inexplicable Reversal'

White House press secretary Jen Psaki blasted Senator Joe Manchin (D., W. Va.) on Sunday after he came out against President Biden's "Build Back Better" package, accusing him of performing a "sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position."

During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Manchin said: "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."

Psaki hit back, saying Manchin's comments are "at odds with his discussions this week with the President, with White House staff, and with his own public utterances."

"Weeks ago, Senator Manchin committed to the President, at his home in Wilmington, to support the Build Back Better framework that the President then subsequently announced," she said in a statement. "Senator Manchin pledged repeatedly to negotiate on finalizing that framework 'in good faith.'"

Former Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson Dies at 76

Former Republican senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia died on Sunday at the age of 76.

"It is with deep sorrow that The Isakson Initiative shares that former U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson passed away overnight on December 19, 2021, at age 76. Sen. Isakson's family is grateful for the prayers and support," the Isakson Initiative announced in a post from the former senator's Twitter.

"Funeral arrangements will be shared when finalized," it added.

Fauci Says Masking on Airplanes Will Never Go Away

White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci on Sunday said he does not believe we are ever going to reach a point where Americans won't be required to wear masks on airplanes due to Covid-19 concerns.

ABC News This Week host Jonathan Karl asked Fauci about comments from several of the CEOs of top airlines that "you are actually safer than you are in an ICU" on a plane because of the filtration systems on flights. Karl asked if we will reach a point where we don't have to wear masks on airplanes.

"I don't think so," Fauci said. "I think when you're dealing with a close space, even though the filtration is good, that you want to go that extra step."

Labor Department Delays Enforcement of Covid Vaccine Mandate for Large Employers

The Labor Department announced on Saturday that it will delay full enforcement of its coronavirus vaccine mandate for large employers until February 9, after a series of legal battles made enforcement of the mandate uncertain.

The mandate by the agency's Occupational Safety & Health Administration orders companies with 100 or more workers to require coronavirus vaccinations among employees, while employees who decline to be vaccinated will submit weekly coronavirus tests. The mandate was initially scheduled to go into effect on January 4.

A federal appeals court upheld the OSHA mandate on Friday, however the Labor Department said it would delay enforcement because of "uncertainty" created by a previous stay of the mandate by a lower court.

"To provide employers with sufficient time to come into compliance, OSHA will not issue citations for noncompliance with any requirements of the ETS before January 10," the Department said in a statement.

Covington Catholic Student Nicholas Sandmann Says He Settled with NBC

Nicholas Sandmann said Friday that he had reached a settlement with NBC Universal.

"At this time I would like to release that NBC and I have reached a settlement. The terms are confidential," he tweeted.

Sandmann sought $275 million from NBC over its coverage of the confrontation that he and his classmates had with an elderly Native American man while attending the March for Life in Washington, D.C., in January of 2019.

"Today, @LLinWood and I filed a $275,000,000 lawsuit against NBCUniversal on behalf of Nicholas Sandmann. The facts of the suit show the anti-Trump narrative NBC pushed so hard," Sandmann's attorney Todd V. McMurtry wrote in 2019 when he announced the defamation lawsuit.

School District Bordering Washington, D.C., Closing All Schools until Mid-January due to Covid-19 Surge

Prince George's County Public Schools, a Maryland school district bordering Washington, D.C., is closing all schools until mid-January due to a surge in Covid-19 cases.

"In light of the stark rise in COVID-19 cases throughout our school system, all students will transition to virtual learning, effective Monday, December 20 through Thursday, December 23," a statement from the county read. "Winter Break will proceed as scheduled, Friday, December 24 through Friday, December 31, and virtual learning will continue Monday, January 3 through Friday, January 14. In-person learning will resume Tuesday, January 18, following the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday; students in the K-6 virtual learning program will return Monday, January 31."