As Debt Ceiling Deal Divides Republicans, A Silver Lining Appears That Unites The Right

As the nation prepares for a pivotal vote in Congress which will likely determine whether the government goes into default or not, it's interesting that the 'Mountain Valley Pipeline,' a billion-dollar connection from West Virginia to Virginia is set to be fast-tracked under the deal, ostensibly as a 'sweetener' to make it easier for congressional Republicans to swallow.

According to Fox News, the 303-mile-long pipeline is already 94 percent completed and would, pending approval, carry natural gas. The project has been buried deeply in 'permitting hell' for years already and was naturally cheered enthusiastically by the West Virginia delegation. It is described as "projected to create 2,500 construction jobs, $40 million in new tax revenue for West Virginia, $10 million in new tax revenue for Virginia, and up to $250 million in royalties for West Virginia landowners."

Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, explained in a statement, "After working with Speaker McCarthy and reiterating what completing the Mountain Valley Pipeline would mean for American jobs and domestic energy production, I am thrilled it is included in the debt ceiling package that avoids default."

Despite delay after delay, we continued to fight for the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and its inclusion in this deal is a significant victory for the future of West Virginia. pic.twitter.com/ycrVaIybfh

— Shelley Moore Capito (@SenCapito) May 31, 2023

Moore's colleague Sen. Joe Manchin, chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, also appears to be on board with the deal as reported by Fox News. "Last summer, I introduced legislation to complete the Mountain Valley Pipeline," Manchin said Sunday. "I am pleased Speaker McCarthy and his leadership team see the tremendous value in completing the MVP to increase domestic energy production and drive down costs across America and especially in West Virginia."

Manchin noted, "I am proud to have fought for this critical project and to have secured the bipartisan support necessary to get it across the finish line." It seems to be precisely the price required for the West Virginia Congressional delegation to sign on to a deal that in no meaningful way actually restrains spending. 

The transaction here is clear for the nation to see, and if additional carveouts have been made in the backroom for other states, instead of each item being considered on its own merits, Republican efforts to prevent the debt ceiling deal from moving forward.

Though Environmentalist Democrats are vociferously objecting, however, according to a statement from Rep. Byron Donalds, previously reported by the DC Enquirer, "the White House is telling Democrats to have crocodile tears but vote for the bill. It's funny that you have a hundred Democrats who are now green lighting. They vote for this bill. You know why they're gonna do that? Because none of their policy is changed and they get to keep all of their spending."