Lingering nominations proved to be a sticking point in the Senate on Friday as Democrats shelved much of their lengthy end-of-year to-do list.

President Joe Biden acknowledged Thursday that the bill, which includes key portions of his domestic agenda, won’t reach his desk before the end of the year. He also said his discussions with Sen. Joe Manchin, a centrist West Virginia Democrat whose support would be vital for the bill’s passage in the upper chamber, would continue into January.


“I believe that we will bridge our differences and advance the Build Back Better plan, even in the face of fierce Republican opposition,” Biden said.

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The president's statements allowed Senate Democrats to shelve the legislation, which they had been seeking to pass before Christmas, until the new year. Biden encouraged the Senate to make progress on voting rights legislation instead, but a path forward on that item was unclear as of Friday, as it would require a rule change.

Without action on the Build Back Better Act, and without the path forward for voting rights legislation, a series of remaining Biden nominations became what would likely be the last item for the Senate this year.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer indicated that the Senate would continue to work until several Biden nominations were approved.


But Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas delayed action on the nominees with a debate procedure in an effort to get a vote on Nord Stream 2 sanctions. Discussions between Senate Republicans and Democrats on reaching a deal on the nominations continued Friday. Without a resolution, the Senate would likely remain through the weekend.

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But senators as of Friday were already leaving town. Twenty senators missed Friday’s first vote on a motion to advance the nomination of Atul Atmaram Gawande to be an assistant administrator of the United States Agency for International Development.