We’re now in the make nice to Sen. Joe Manchin phase of legislating President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better (BBB) plan. At least, that’s the message House Democrats have been sent. The House is gearing up to return next week to try to pass BBB, the $1.75 trillion package written to address economic inequality as well as climate change, with programs to help families, provide expanded home- and community-based health care, and incentivize green technologies. Oh, and cut taxes for everyone except the top 1%, who would pay more. All of which Manchin has a problem with.

“In private, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has counseled her House colleagues not to insult Manchin, Democrats say,” to CNN. “And she has spoken positively about her relationship with the West Virginia Democrat, who gave her a statue of a coal miner this year in a gesture toward their efforts to help those workers with their pension problems, according to a person who heard her remarks.”

That admonition is going to severely test fellow Democrats, including Manchin’s Senate colleague Debbie Stabenow from Michigan. Manchin’s latest demand is dropping the $4,500 boost to the tax incentives for electric vehicles that are union-made in the U.S. Toyota, Tesla, and Honda all oppose that boost. Manchin announced that he’s opposed to it as well at an event at a Toyota plant in West Virginia Thursday.

At the event, Manchin called the union-made tax credit “wrong” and “not American.” He used the old Republican talking point that, “We shouldn’t use everyone’s tax dollars to pick winners and losers,” and went on to say that the union-made requirement is “not how we built this country.” Which is news to the unionized miners in West Virginia who’ve helped get him elected. This is where Stabenow comes in, as she represents plenty of unionized autoworkers.

Campaign Action

Manchin should remember that when Stabenow—and Chuck Schumer, Sherrod Brown, Patty Murray, and Ron Wyden—all stood with him to protect the members of the United Mine Workers of American in West Virginia. He sent out a press release about it. “We must act now,” Manchin said at the time about his legislation to protect union mine workers.

“That’s why I’m joining my colleagues today—to call for the passage of my legislation that will ensure our miners and retirees can retire and live peacefully without the constant worry of losing their hard-earned pensions.” In other words, intervening to make sure that the workers in his state weren’t losers.

As Stabenow said this week, “At that time, some argued [Manchin’s] bill was unfair and was picking winners and losers. But we rejected that argument and stood together to protect union pensions,” she said. “This issue is no different. Standing up for hard-working Americans is always the right thing to do.”

Manchin’s colleagues stood by him to help his constituents, but he won’t work with them now to help everyone. At this point, House Democrats should be less worried about passing something that Manchin would agree to and pass something that maximizes help to the maximum amount of people. Then let Biden and Senate Democrats take care of him.