Manchin Reverses Course on Reconciliation Bill

[Webster]

(The Guardian) Manchin reverses course on Biden reconciliation bill
If you didn’t see it last night, you’re waking to news of a stunning reversal by senator Joe Manchin on tax and climate policy, and his agreement with Democratic Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer for a comprehensive new bill, following weeks of stealthy negotiations.

The concession by the rebel West Virginia Democrat, who almost single handedly has thwarted much of Joe Biden’s ambitious first-term agenda, surprised and angered congressional Republicans, who in an immediate apparent act of revenge – and self-sabotage – then blocked a bipartisan Senate bill expanding healthcare access for certain military veterans.

We’ll have more analysis of Manchin’s unexpected reversal, and the consequences of it, coming up.

---

Manchin: 'I've never walked away from anything'
Joe Manchin has been defending his unexpected U-turn on climate and tax policy that resulted in the Inflation Reduction Act.

West Virginia’s Democratic senator, who is in isolation following a positive test for Covid-19, told Punchbowl that it wasn’t a reversal at all. And he said that he had endured months of criticism from progressive Democrats and others for derailing much of Joe Biden’s ambitious first-term agenda - or “one hell of an ass-kicking” as he eloquently described it.

Of his secretive negotiations with Democratic Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer that led to last night’s announcement, Manchin said: I never gave up.

The smart thing politically for me [to] do once Build Back Better was done and I walked away was to let a sleeping dog lie. But when you get a moment in time, and if you know in your heart something needs to be done, it’s the right thing.

Manchin also said the reconciliation bill was born of his resistance to Biden’s flagship $1.8tn Build Back Better spending package, which he scuppered because he didn’t like the cost. He told Punchbowl: Remember when I told you I didn’t walk away? I never walked away. I’ve never walked away from anything.

And I’ve been trying to tell people that. The bottom line was inflation scared the bejesus out of me at 9.1%. I said, ‘I’m gonna go back and re-scrub that bill.’ And then, you know, Chuck and I have a little bit of a relationship, if you will. Good, bad, indifferent at times, but it’s always been respectful and he got mad...

So Monday, I said, ‘Chuck, I’m not walking away, never have, my people are still working. If you want to see if we can basically scrub everything and make sure it’s not inflationary.’ That’s just how this went. And he says, ‘Yeah, we’re willing to engage again.’ And I said, ‘OK, if you want to engage again.’ I said, ‘We haven’t stopped, we’re going through everything, taking out anything that we think could be inflammatory.’

And I gotta give him credit, they were OK. And we went through the whole thing.

Now the reconciliation bill is announced, and assuming it passes the scrutiny of the House and Senate parliamentarians, Democrats have to get it passed.

They will need all 50 of their votes in the Senate, and Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema is a notable tax-hike skeptic. A spokesperson told the Guardian she won’t comment on the bill until she “reviews the text and what comes out of the parliamentarian process.”

Another potential headache: Illinois Democrat Dick Durbin tested positive today for Covid-19 and is isolating, but is expected to be back for any Senate vote.

Over in the House, meanwhile, where Democrats hold a slim four-seat majority, there are questions over New Jersey representatives Josh Gottheimer and Mikie Sherill, and Tom Suozzi of New York, who say they won’t support tax changes without certain concessions.

 

[Webster]

(The Guardian) Climate advocates reacted with surprise and delight to Joe Manchin’s decision to back a sweeping bill to combat the climate crisis, with analysts predicting the legislation will bring the US close to its target of slashing planet-heating emissions.

The West Virginia senator, who has made millions from his ownership of a coal-trading company, had seemingly thwarted Joe Biden’s hopes of passing meaningful climate legislation – only to reveal on Wednesday his support for a $369bn package to support renewable energy and electric vehicle rollout.

The move by the centrist Democrat shocked many of Manchin’s colleagues, who despaired after more than 18 months of seemingly fruitless negotiations with the lawmaker, a crucial vote in an evenly divided Senate. “Holy shit,” tweeted Tina Smith, a Democrat from Minnesota. “Stunned, but in a good way.”

Should the bill pass both chambers of Congress and be signed by Biden, it will be the biggest and arguably first piece of climate legislation ever enacted by the US. The world’s largest historical carbon polluter has repeatedly failed to act on the climate crisis due to missed opportunities, staunch Republican opposition and the machinations of the fossil fuel lobby.

The climate spending, part of a broader bill called the Inflation Reduction Act, “has the potential to be a historic turning point” said Al Gore, the former vice-president. “It represents the single largest investment in climate solutions and environmental justice in US history. Decades of tireless work by climate advocates across the country led to this moment.”

The bulk of the bill includes hefty tax credits to unleash clean energy projects such as wind and solar as well as a rebate of up to $7,500 for Americans who want to buy new electric vehicles. There is $9bn to retrofit houses to make them more energy efficient, tax credits for heat pumps and rooftop solar and a $27bn “clean energy technology accelerator” to help deploy new renewable technology.

A further $60bn would go towards environmental justice projects and there is a new program to reduce leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from oil and gas drilling.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

I wonder what underage little girl he was caught in bed with.

 

[Webster]

I wonder what underage little girl he was caught in bed with.