Joe Manchin rejects climate, tax proposals in blow to Biden agenda
- Manchin told Schumer “unequivocally” he won’t support measures beyond prescription drugs and health care.
- Biden’s lofty goals to address climate and social safety-net appear doomed.
- Progressives accused Manchin of “single-handedly dooming humanity. “
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden vowed Friday to take “strong executive action” to address climate change after Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., doomed the president’s efforts to revive major pieces of his domestic legislative agenda.
Declaring he “won’t back down,” the president said he would use executive authority after Manchin on Thursday rejected proposals to combat climate change and raise taxes on the wealthy in negotiations for a spending package with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
What Biden is saying:
- “Action on climate change and clean energy remains more urgent than ever,” Biden said in a written statement while he is traveling in the Middle East. “So let me be clear: if the Senate will not move to tackle the climate crisis and strengthen our domestic clean energy industry, I will take strong executive action to meet this moment.”
- Biden did not specify the potential executive actions, but he said it would seek to create jobs, improve U.S. energy security, bolster manufacturing and supply chains, and address climate change. Whether any executive actions from Biden on climate have the same teeth as legislation remains to be seen. .
- Biden also called on the Senate to pass legislation before the August recess aimed at lowering prescription drug prices and extending subsidies for the Affordable Care Act – the two areas where Manchin and other Democrats have found agreement.
More:Sen. Joe Manchin cools on spending negotiations, citing fears of an ‘inflation fire’
How we got here:
- Manchin, a moderate Democrat, told Schumer in a meeting Thursday that “he will not support” a reconciliation bill that has provisions addressing energy and climate or raises taxes on the wealthiest Americans and corporations, according to a Democrat briefed on the conversation.
- Manchin told Schumer “unequivocally,” according to the source, that he is only willing to support measures to the prescription drug prices and ACA law measures.
- Manchin, appearing on the Hoppy Kercheval radio show in West Virginia on Friday, rejected the suggestion he’s blown up talks. He said he wants to wait until August, when July inflation figures are released, to decide what can be passed without further spiking consumer prices.
- “I said, ‘Chuck can we just wait until the inflation figures come out in July?'” Manchin said. “He took that as ‘no’, I guess.” The senator added: “As far as I’m concerned, I want climate. I want an energy policy.”
What it means for negotiations
- Schumer is hoping to pass legislation before the Senate leaves for recess in August – which Manchin’s timeline wouldn’t allow. The stalemate comes after concessions from Schumer on the climate package to eliminate tax credits for electric vehicles and direct pay for clean-energy developers opposed by Manchin, while lowering the price tag of energy components to $375 billion, the source said.
- Schumer’s final offer would…
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