All that work Democrats have been doing all weekend long to get President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan onto the House floor? West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin just blew it all to smithereens, or did his damnedest to do so, anyway. He held a press conference Monday blasting House progressives for refusing to compromise—when they’ve come down from a figure of $6 trillion to $1.75 trillion to answer his concerns—and insisting that he won’t support a BBB bill until it answers whatever made-up bullshit he has a problem with this week. So that we can go through this whole charade again next week.

Manchin’s endgame has been clear for weeks now: Force his colleagues and President Biden to spend time chasing him down for support on Build Back Better, and at the same time force the House to pass his gift to the fossil fuel industry, the hard infrastructure bill (BIB) he negotiated with Republicans.

“The political games have to stop,” Manchin said, as if this process hasn’t been dragged out for weeks by his ever-moving goalposts. “Holding this bill hostage is not going to work in getting my support for the reconciliation bill.”

The last two weeks have been spent in that project, chasing his concerns down and answering them. In fact, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) has been working in those weeks moving closer to Manchin on BBB, and the House is now just about ready to vote on their package. They have stated explicitly that they will enthusiastically vote for BIB once they can vote on BBB, and have the Senate’s commitment to passing BBB. Which Manchin explicitly refused to provide Monday. “I’m open to supporting a final bill that helps move our country forward. But I’m equally open to voting against a bill that hurts our country,” Manchin said.

The House is in the process of moving BBB,  starting as soon as Tuesday. It seems pretty clear that the fact that BBB passing imminently had to be stopped, and that’s what Manchin is trying to do Monday. Manchin’s goal remains getting his BIB passed, and to keep whittling down the social spending package into nothingness.

The White House is not particularly amused by this stunt from Manchin. His demands, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement released immediately after his press conference, have all been met. He said he wanted legislation that “combats inflection, is fiscally responsible, and will create job,” Psaki said. “The plan the House is finalizing meets those tests—it is fully paid for, will reduce the deficit, and brings down the costs for health care, child care, elder care, and housing,” she continued.

“Experts agree,” she said. “Seventeen Nobel Prize-winning economists have said it will reduce inflation. As a result,” she continued, “we remain confident the plan will gain Senator Manchin’s support.”

For now, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, head of the CPC says that they still plan to vote on both bills this week, and the progressives will support both because Biden has assured them there will be 50 votes for the bill in the Senate. “I trust the president,” she said.  

Stay tuned. Manchin’s antics, while met with grace and composure from Jayapal, might throw the rest of the House Democratic caucus into question.