Joe Manchin, a moderate Democratic West Virginia Senator, has called upon the Republicans sitting in the Senate to work with him in passing his new permitting reform side deal.
While speaking as part of an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Manchin outright begged his Republican colleagues to stand with him in support of the new deal that he managed to secure with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in order to reform the current energy permitting system for the United States. Manchin’s new deal is currently struggling due to heavy resistance from both progressive Democrats and Republicans alike. If the Senate cannot come to a decisive deal on the issue, it could end up risking a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown.
“[T]his is a chance in a lifetime for us to have energy independence,” explained Manchin to host Shannon Bream. “For us to have security in this nation, which we need, and making sure that we can take care of the American people with low energy prices, producing more oil, producing more gas. But we have to have permitting reform if you’re going to deliver it. You have no way of infrastructure to deliver it. So, everyone knows that. My Republican friends know that.”
Manchin outright dismissed an alternative piece of legislation brought up by a group of 46 of his Republican colleagues, labeling it a “messaging bill”; and made the claim that the bill he was currently pushing already included everything that was offered in the Republican bill.
He also ignored the criticism from progressive Democrats who were outspoken with their adamant opposition. “I never expected Bernie Sanders and the far extreme left to ever be for any permitting,” stated Manchin. “They’ve never been for permitting reform. That’s why we never had it. [But this] is one time when overwhelmingly, Democrats in both the House and the Senate are supporting … We have a golden opportunity and we have a majority, overwhelming majority of Democrats supporting it. This is the most important thing that we can do today.”
“[T]he process has come down to party line vote which is unfortunate, but it is what we’re dealing with in a toxic political atmosphere,” finished Manchin. “But I can assure you, everybody, we try to take everyone’s input on this and my Republican friends’ input is in this piece of legislation.”
Democrats throughout the Senate are currently expected to try and go forward with a continuing resolution in order to dodge a governmental shutdown. However, intense infighting concerning the details of Manchin’s new permitting reform legislation had threatened to dash this government funding bill against the rocks.
