There appears to be a chance — perhaps a good one — that Joe Biden’s signature “Build Back Better” legislation may be resurrected.
Late last year, Senator Joe Manchin singlehandedly derailed the effort to pass the BBB using reconciliation — a legislative process that eliminates the filibuster. But with the 50-50 divide in the Senate, each and every Democratic Senator would need to be on board for the BBB to pass.
Manchin made sure that wouldn’t happen.
Now, with Biden and many Democrats willing to compromise on the climate aspects of BBB, Manchin appears ready to reenter negotiations.
Russia’s war in Ukraine underscores the need to pursue a broader “all of the above” energy policy that includes increased domestic oil production on public lands. This has taken some of the most objectionable climate change legislation off the table.
A draft bill from Energy and Natural Resources, unveiled just daysbefore Manchin walked away from the deal, included major green policy wins like a ban on energy exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and new royalty rates for onshore oil and gas drilling (E&E Daily, Dec. 16, 2021).
If Manchin is prepared to now scrap his committee’s blueprint and start from scratch in reconciliation talks, that could upend expectations for renewed discussions, with climate hawks left to worry over what the committee chair would be willing to ultimately support.
Adding to the intrigue, Manchin spent last Friday with leading Biden administration officials, including Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, in his home state of West Virginia, as they promoted provisions that were part of last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law (Greenwire, March 18).
The question of passing BBB is now thrown back at climate hysterics. What are they willing to part with in the bill? What are they willing to accept?
For those who might be surprised at the West Virginian’s willingness to negotiate in the face of a massive increase in inflation — an increase he predicted — don’t forget that first, last, and always, Joe Manchin is Democrat. Despite the shoddy treatment by his own party and the activists, he is an old-fashioned, rock-ribbed Democrat who was elected governor in 2004 when his state was just turning from dark blue to red.
And he has an old-fashioned politician’s loyalty to the leader of his party. Manchin said at the outset that he wanted to give Joe Biden a legislative victory on his Build Back Better bill. But he wasn’t going to do it at any cost.
“Senator Manchin is always willing to engage in discussions about the best way to move our country forward. He remains seriously concerned about the financial status of our country and believes fighting inflation by restoring fairness to our tax system and paying down our national debt must be our first priority,” Runyon said.
“He has made clear that we can protect energy independence and respond to climate change at the same time. We must maintain energy independence by advancing an all-of-the-above energy policy to continue producing energy cleaner than anywhere else in the world,” she continued.
“Additionally, he continues to believe we can and must lower the cost of prescription drugs for working Americans to ensure no family has to choose between lifesaving medications and putting food on the table.”
It may be likely that Manchin is able to negotiate an end to the stalemate with the administration on BBB. But it’s equally likely that in so doing, there will be pushback from the radical greens in Congress, which could result in the measure going down to defeat anyway.