Dem Sen. Joe Manchin Deals Major Blow To Biden’s Climate Change Agenda

Moderate Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) dealt a major blow the President Joe Biden’s climate change agenda on Thursday by refusing to support any such measures, in the White House’s latest push at passing sweeping federal legislation.

Manchin and his staff reportedly communicated to Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) office that the West Virginia Democrat would not support any bills before the Midterms dealing with energy and climate change issues, or closing tax loopholes.

Biden is pushing for the Senate to invoke reconciliation which would allow the White House to pass certain measures by a simple majority of 51 votes. With the Senate deadlocked at 50-50 and Vice President Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote, Biden could pull it off in time for November — but he was counting on the support of the swing vote senator.

“Political headlines are of no value to the millions of Americans struggling to afford groceries and gas as inflation soars to 9.1%,” Manchin spokesperson Sam Runyon told Fox News Digital in a statement.

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The statement added, “Senator Manchin believes it’s time for leaders to put political agendas aside, reevaluate and adjust to the economic realities the country faces to avoid taking steps that add fuel to the inflation fire.”

Schumer and Manchin had been negotiating the framework of this potential legislative package for several months.

This new development now forces Democrats to feed their bill through the usual legislative channels, which would require 60 votes to pass the upper chamber.

This isn’t the first time Manchin has stood in the way of his own party’s broader agenda. Representing a state twice won overwhelmingly by former President Trump, he has been forced to walk a fine line on almost every major issue — and has even called out members of Biden’s cabinet for their ineffectiveness.

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