Progressives worry Manchin’s climate talk is hot air
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Progressives don’t like what they hear when they listen to Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) talk about a potential climate and deficit-reduction bill.
Why it matters: With the holdout senator hinting at supporting some climate provisions as part of a slimmed-down Build Back Better legislation, both House and Senate progressives worry any final bill will be heavier on energy independence favored by Big Oil — and lighter on the carbon reduction they seek.
- In a 50-50 Senate — and a Democratic majority with just half a dozen votes to spare in the House — progressive opposition to a smaller reconciliation package could kill any potential deal.
What they're saying: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Manchin’s proposal sounds like a “fossil-fuel bill.”
- “When he says he wants to act on climate, I think it's quite understandable that people would meet that with a great deal of disbelief,” she told Axios.
- “I know where Joe starts on some of these things,’ said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) “It’s not where I start.”
- “At the end of the day, we need to measure it against what it proves out in emissions reductions,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said. “And those discussions are ongoing.”
The big picture: Progressives still feel burned Manchin — and, to a lesser extent, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) — extracted their vote for the $1.1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package without voting for Biden’s sweeping climate and social-spending plans.
- Manchin declared those negotiations dead in December. Lately, he's been signaling he's open to a smaller bill, including an "all-of-the-above" approach to energy security.
- That bill would likely include most of the $550 billion in climate spending that was included in the House-passed bill, as well as prescription drug reform and deficit reduction.
Driving the news: Manchin told reporters on Thursday the focus should be on deficit reduction, fighting inflation and tax reform.
- “I'm talking about fixing, fixing the tax code. That's the one thing we all agreed was wrong," he said.
- Earlier in the week, he established clear parameters for any potential climate and energy bill.
- "I will not vote to put the United States of America in a position … to basically end up like Europe," the senator told a West Virginia radio show, according to the Free Beacon.
- "Let's basically invest in renewables, do what we need to do there, and in new technology, but also invest in infrastructure to be secure here," he said.
Go deeper: While progressives question his intent, some of Manchin’s other colleagues in the Senate are convinced he’s supportive of $550 billion in energy subsidies in the House-passed climate and social spending bill.
- “I think there's going to be so much good stuff in there, that we're going to be very pleased,” Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) told Axios.
