Biden's Build Back Better is both dead and (slightly) alive. Democrats still hope a skinnier social and climate bill can find legs with Manchin.

• Biden is set to urge Congress to pass a slimmer social and climate spending bill in his State of the Union address.
• It's unclear if Democrats can get Manchin onboard as he is still focused on other priorities.

It's a dead plan walking.

President Joe Biden's Build Back Better package as Democrats once knew it has ceased to exist. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia hasn't let up in his opposition to the sprawling House bill, and it's unclear when — or if — the party will get another shot to revisit it.

"There is no Build Back Better," Manchin told reporters on Tuesday ahead of the president's scheduled State of the Union address. He added that he wanted Biden to speak about inflation among other things.

To borrow a pair of lines from "The Princess Bride," the measure is both "mostly dead" and "slightly alive." Democrats are still clinging to hopes that Manchin can be won over on a skinnier social and climate spending package that fulfills many of their pledges to expand healthcare, childcare, and tax the richest Americans.

"Everyone knows the issues. It's not like we need to spend lots of time working through what's good for our economy," Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said in a brief interview. "We just need to sit down and see what pieces are on the table that we can get 50 votes on."

"I think there's possibility," Sen. Jon Tester of Montana said. "We gotta get people on the same page though."

Democrats eyed the evening as an opportunity for a presidential reset. During a joint address to Congress last year, Biden pitched the original "American Families Plan" underpinning BBB as a "once-in-a-generation" chance to spend big on families and children. Now, he's shifting gears and emphasizing how the plan would cut costs for families amid the highest inflation in decades and slash the federal deficit.

"It sure seems to me that the President when it comes to the so-called Build Back Better, he's going to focus on one person only — and that's Senator Manchin," Jim Manley, a former Senate Democratic leadership aide, told Insider. "I don't know if they're going to rename it or not, but they're certainly trying to spin it differently than they have in the past."

Indeed, Biden appears set to distance himself from that name. "It's not about the name of the bill," an administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters in a Monday call previewing the speech. "It's about the ideas."

In some regards, Democrats seem suspended in time. They appear no closer to bringing Manchin onboard than they were in December when he torpedoed the package. Negotiations on a replacement are at a standstill with the conservative Democrat prioritizing other issues like elections reform and a year-long government funding bill.

The White House released a four-point plan to lay the economic groundwork of Biden's address:

• Cutting day-to-day costs for families along with the federal deficit
• Bolstering competition and shielding consumers
• Strengthening supply chains and domestic manufacturing
• Removing barriers to well-paying jobs

It also included a call to include programs that Manchin previously objected to, like the expanded child tax credit and a national paid leave program.

For now, the Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens to send a smaller spending plan further down the Democratic to-do list. Manley said there was a risk that Democrats wouldn't pass anything as midterm campaigning gets underway. "While hope springs eternal, I'm not sure how much of a chance there is to get this done," he said.

Some Democrats argue that they'll eventually be able to negotiate a smaller bill, citing a different mix of reasons like inflation and reducing dependency on foreign oil.

"I think we got to do what's right by Ukraine, and we will," Tester told Insider. "And then focus on what we can do to reduce costs for businesses and families on the inflation thing because I think Ukraine is going to add to inflation pressures."

Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon that the clean-energy tax provisions that were contained in the bill would help reduce America's reliance on foreign oil from "authoritarian regimes." Manchin said a day earlier that he wants to ban crude oil imports from Russia.

It's not clear if these arguments will stick with Manchin, though he has expressed some willingness to return to the negotiating table. But Democrats seem intent on locking in another legislative accomplishment that would provide tangible improvements to people's lives.

"I think these provisions are enormously popular," Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont told Insider. "The American people now are frustrated with the lack of action from Congress."