“The arbiter of Senate rules has rejected Democrats’ third immigration proposal to provide temporary deportation protections and work permits to millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“A 50/50 Senate is really problematic. I’ve used the word ‘sucks.’ It definitely enables one or two people to hold things up. So, yes, I am frustrated.”

— Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI), quoted by Politico.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said he thinks President Biden’s social spending and climate bill, the Build Back Better Act, is “dead forever,” The Hill reports.

Playbook: “It’s a fitting end to a year dominated by two Senate Democrats at the center of pretty much everything in 2021: Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have all but put the kibosh on two major proposals their own party was hoping to pass before the holiday break.”

However, from Punchbowl News: “Democrats are fighting among themselves over SALT and immigration. That’s not Manchin’s fault. And the parliamentarian hasn’t finished scrubbing the bill for possible Byrd Rule problem. And that isn’t Manchin’s fault.”

“So let’s be real. It’s not just Manchin. He’s a big problem for the leadership and White House, easily the most high profile headache, but hardly the only one. They don’t have the text of the legislation finished. The parliamentarian is still grinding away.”

“Kyrsten Sinema supports the elections reform bill that Democrats are considering a year-end push to pass. She doesn’t support a shortcut around the filibuster to get it done,” Politico reports.

“The Arizona moderate is making clear that she intends to keep protecting the Senate’s 60-vote requirement on most legislation and she isn’t ready to entertain changing rules to pass sweeping elections or voting legislation with a simple majority.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is now likely to delay a vote on the Build Back Better bill until next year and will instead seek to take action on voting rights legislation before Christmas, NBC News reports.

Politico reports that Schumer met with Sens. Joe Manchin, Tim Kaine, Angus King and Jon Tester this morning to discuss possible rules changes needed to pass an elections reform bill.

“Senate Democrats are escalating pressure on Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) to get behind using the ‘nuclear option’ to change the filibuster and break a months-long stalemate on voting rights legislation,” The Hill reports.

“The flurry of talks — including dedicating a closed-door caucus lunch to the issue despite a public hyper-focus on passing President Biden’s climate and social spending bill — comes as Democrats are facing intense pressure to pass election legislation though there isn’t yet a clear path forward.”

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) “slipped getting onto the subway and crashed to the floor, fracturing and dislocating his right shoulder, the side he writes with,” NJ.com reports.

Said Menendez afterwards: “It’s called being too responsible, all to get to the vote and to get to another hearing. The hearings will always be there and the votes will always be there. Good lesson.”

Punchbowl News: “Schumer isn’t yet acknowledging that BBB can’t be done by Christmas, although it’s becoming clear that may be the case. Schumer is doing what he can to put the Senate in a position to pass the package, if everything were to fall into place. But it just may be a bridge too far.”

“Schumer will face a choice in the next few days. Does he keep the Senate in session, grinding through nominations on the floor — which needs to be done in the face of continued opposition from some Republicans — while pressing for a BBB deal behind-the-scenes? Or does he acknowledge that BBB isn’t happening right now, send his colleagues home for Christmas and come back Jan. 3 to try again?”

“Senate Democrats are desperately trying to avoid ending the year stalled on their two top priorities: elections reform and their expansive bill to address climate and the social safety net,” Politico reports.

“At the center of it all sits Joe Manchin.”

“President Biden and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) are locked in a disagreement over how long programs in the Build Back Better agenda should be funded,” Axios reports.

“The impasse all but guarantees the Senate will delay a vote on the $1.75 trillion spending package until next year. It’s also an indication Biden is willing to hold out for a bigger deal, as opposed to a faster one.”

“Mitch McConnell is facing a frontal assault from emboldened pro-Trump Republicans eager to unseat him as the Senate’s GOP leader,” Axios reports.

“Taking on McConnell risks not only triggering his wrath in the Capitol but making candidate-critics vulnerable to targeting by his ample supply of campaign cash.”

Also interesting: “Tucker Carlson, one of the most influential conservatives in the country, castigated McConnell during his Fox News show last week — and promised to make the minority leader a consistent object of scorn in future segments.”

“Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) is threatening to keep the Senate in session and voting over the weekend and into the week of Christmas to break a Republican blockade of President Biden’s nominees,” The Hill reports.

Interestingly, a copy of the Senate’s schedule for 2022 leaked and they’ll be back to work on January 3 — which is earlier than expected.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), chair of the Finance Committee, told Politico there are more than 20 issues about President Biden’s social spending bill that are currently playing out before the Senate parliamentarian.

That means it isn’t just Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) standing in the way of getting the bill done before Dems’ ideal Christmas deadline.

“Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has signaled anew that he’s still not ready to back his party’s $2 trillion social and environment legislation, then talked to President Joe Biden as party leaders scrambled for a pathway to advance the long-stalled package — preferably by Christmas,” the AP reports.

“The West Virginia lawmaker declined to describe his telephone conversation with the president Monday, saying he and Biden are ‘talking about different iterations’ and saying ‘anything’s possible’ when asked if they could reach a deal by the holiday.”