Manchin and Schumer reach agreement on clean energy
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced on Wednesday that he and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had reached an agreement on a reconciliation bill that represents a pared-down version of President Biden's Build Back Better agenda.
Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman reported that the reconciliation bill — which requires only 51 votes to pass — "deals with climate, energy, tax[es], and healthcare." According to The Washington Post, the legislation, known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, includes "roughly $433 billion in new investments, much of which is focused on climate change and energy production."
Manchin pulled out of a similar deal earlier this month, citing concerns that new climate spending could exacerbate the ongoing inflation crisis. That agreement represented a renewed attempt to pass key parts of BBB after Manchin said in December that he wouldn't vote for the whole package. According to The New York Times, this second failure infuriated Democrats, who had spent more than a year working to "scale back, water down, trim and tailor" the $1.75 trillion BBB agenda to "Manchin's exact specifications."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Monday, six Democratic staffers were arrested for protesting outside Schumer's office, urging him to bring Manchin back to the table.
In a statement released Wednesday, Manchin declared BBB "dead" once and for all. He also insisted that the Inflation Reduction Act would not "make the United States more dependent on foreign energy" or move "the country closer to the unstable and vulnerable European model of energy."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Cicada-geddon: the fungus that controls insects like 'zombies'
Under The Radar Expert says bugs will develop 'hypersexualisation' despite their genitals falling off
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Is the Gaza war tearing US university campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
'Elevating Earth Day into a national holiday is not radical — it's practical'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine cheers House approval of military aid
Speed Read Following a lengthy struggle, the House has approved $95 billion in aid for Ukraine and Israel
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Republicans want to silence Israel's opponents'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Israel hits Iran with retaliatory airstrike
Speed Read The attack comes after Iran's drone and missile barrage last weekend
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Peter Murrell: Sturgeon's husband charged over SNP 'embezzlement' claims
Speed Read SNP expresses 'shock' as former chief executive rearrested in long-running investigation into claims of mishandled campaign funds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Mark Menzies: Tories investigate MP after 'bad people' cash claims
Speed Read Fylde MP will sit as an independent while party looks into allegations he misused campaign funds on medical expenses and blackmail pay-out
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published