Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who effectively buried a huge climate and social spending package by refusing to vote for it in December, has restarted discussions with his colleagues on the Build Back Better agenda.
Manchin has reminded his Democratic colleagues that a vote on the bill must be held before the senators leave for the summer session in August. The senator assured them that an agreement could be reached that included billions of dollars to combat climate change, lower prescription medication prices, and modernize the tax system.
Joe Manchin Is Ready To Restart Talks on Build Back Better Plan
However, he demanded concessions on Gulf of Mexico oil and gas extraction, according to The Hill. While the existing five-year plan for offshore oil and gas leasing in federal seas is set to expire by the end of June, the Interior Department has been hesitant to design a new one.
This comes after E&E News reported on Wednesday that Manchin was ready to restart talks on the package and aimed to get an agreement on a slimmed-down climate and social spending measure during the Senate's April and May work periods. There is a text circulating, but it is in its early stages.
Manchin also listed some of the energy measures he supports on Wednesday, including a tax credit for renewable energy production and legislation to replace fossil fuel generation with advanced nuclear power.
Senators Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have long voiced doubts about Biden's measure, but Manchin essentially killed it in December 2021 when he said on "Fox News Sunday" that he would vote "no" on it.
During informal talks, Manchin is said to have sketched a package that includes around $500 billion for climate and $1 trillion in new income, according to sources. He has expressed no support for universal preschool or any of Biden's other care-economy initiatives in his first "human infrastructure" package.
Manchin Demands To Increase Corporate Tax Revenue
Per Fox News, Manchin is also allegedly demanding that at least half of the increased corporate tax revenue, as well as the expected savings from enabling Medicare to directly negotiate the cost of prescription medications, be used to reduce the deficit. Any slimmer Build Back Better bill will face additional obstacles, including Sinema's possible rejection and progressive Democrats' unwillingness to support a lesser plan.
It's uncertain whether a compromise can be reached before the end of July, after which big legislation will be tough to pass in time for the midterm elections. The confirmation hearings for Biden's Supreme Court candidate, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, are presently occupying the Senate's attention.
Biden is ready to reengage with Manchin on tax credits and other initiatives targeted at increasing sustainable energy and electric cars, according to White House national climate coordinator Gina McCarthy.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), one of Congress' most outspoken climate activists, said in an interview on Wednesday that Manchin seemed to support renewable energy tax credits as well as a levy on methane emissions, a strong greenhouse gas. Last Friday, Manchin spent time with Haaland and Granholm in his home state of West Virginia, promoting measures in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, as per The Washington Post via MSN.
Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), who had tried unsuccessfully to persuade Manchin to support a program that would shift power companies away from fossil fuels, said she was encouraged to hear of the "good discussion" on Friday between Manchin and Granholm, who were both in Paris for the International Energy Agency's ministerial meeting this week.
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