Manchin suggested on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that he had not spoken to Sinema about the package since agreeing with Schumer. But he paid tribute to his colleague from Arizona and her past work to lower prescription drug prices — a goal included in the new bill. “When she looks at the bill and sees the full range of what we’re doing and all the energy we’re bringing — all the price reduction and fighting inflation by lowering prices, having more energy — hopefully she’ll be positive about it.” , Manchin said. “But she’s going to make her decision. And I respect that.”
Manchin uses his power
Manchin, covering Sunday telecasts, showed his strength at the center of a tightly divided Senate as he pushed through the legislation — always with an eye on voters back home in a deep red state. Once again, Manchin has succeeded in putting his state, one of the nation’s poorest and smallest, at the center of Washington policymaking. He has also used his power to defend centrism at a time when both parties appear to be moving toward their more radical supporters. After repeatedly angering Democrats by subverting Biden’s agenda, he is now disappointing Republicans who had hoped he would continue his opposition. On Sunday, Manchin insisted his package would reduce inflation, expand domestic energy production, ensure some companies pay their fair share and benefit Americans by lowering prescription drug costs for Medicare patients. The measure would also spend nearly $370 billion to fight climate change and develop a new green energy economy, reviving efforts that seemed doomed just weeks ago by opposition from the coal state’s senator. If the bill passes the Senate and later the House, it would immediately make Biden the President who has made the biggest commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cement his global leadership in the effort to prevent the most devastating future impacts. of climate change. It comes as extreme weather — from drought in the American West to flooding in Kentucky that has killed at least 28 people — ravages the US. Climate finance isn’t the only key Democratic priority in the bill. The Manchin-Schumer bill, now rebranded as the “Lower Inflation Act,” includes sweeping subsidies for the Affordable Care Act that will also enshrine another key reform brought about by the Democratic administration in the 21st century — Obamacare. Those twin achievements could change perceptions of the Biden presidency — which, despite some successes, including a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 rescue package and a rare bipartisan infrastructure bill — has seen key agenda items such as voting rights and police reform founder in the Senate. While passage of the bill could go too long to save Democrats from the painful blow of high inflation in November’s midterm elections, it could prevent the turnout of progressives discouraged by the failure to do more with their slim grip on power. from the party in Washington. Given the mobilization of liberals after the conservative Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion and the majority of the public’s support for gun restrictions after a series of mass shootings, Democrats would at least have a platform to run on in November if manage to compose a coherent narrative of their achievements. While Republican strategists believe the House is already headed their way, according to a new CNN report over the weekend, a late surge in Democratic enthusiasm could stoke the hopes of party leaders who believe the Senate is not a lost cause. — especially against a clutch of candidates in the image of former President Donald Trump who could scare off suburban voters.
The GOP is mobilizing to prevent the Democrats from winning
Manchin explained on Sunday that he understood the aggression was being spewed by many Democrats and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders after derailing the previous “Build Back Better” plan because they believed it would fuel already soaring inflation. He said he hopes the new measure will be passed by the end of this week, when the Senate is set to adjourn for an August recess. The timing is still a high-profile act — just one case of Covid-19 among Democratic senators, for example, could break the party’s majority, as all Republicans are expected to be against it. There have been several recent positive tests among senators that put them in isolation, including Manchin. Defending his deal with Schumer, the West Virginia senator said that “in normal times,” Republicans would support the bill as it would pay down the deficit, speed up permitting for oil and gas drilling and increase energy production — all The GOP has previously supported records. But GOP senators are mobilizing to try to prevent passage of the bill, which would represent a victory for Biden and Democrats ahead of the midterms. “It really seems to me that Joe Manchin has been taken to the cleaners,” Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey told State of the Union’s Jake Tapper. “Look, this bill, the corporate tax increase, is going to slow growth, possibly exacerbate a recession that we’re probably already in,” said Toomey, who is retiring. He argued that price controls on prescription drugs would slow the development of life-saving drugs and that the bill would subsidize “rich people who buy Teslas.” Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana told ABC News’ “This Week” that another multibillion-dollar spending bill could cause an “incredible amount of uncertainty” in the economy just as it entered recession. Debate is raging in Washington on that last point after an official report was released last week showing a second straight quarter of negative growth. The White House insists that given the strong job growth, the economy is not in a classic contraction. In practical terms, however, the semantics of “inside-the-Beltway” make little difference to Americans who face grocery bills that are far more expensive than they were a year ago, even if prices at the pump have eased somewhat in recent weeks.
Republicans accused of “cruelty” on veterans’ health care
The battle over the climate and health care bill will be played out this week alongside a bitter dispute over the GOP’s blocking of a bill that would have provided health care to veterans exposed to toxic fumes from burn pits used to incineration of waste at military facilities during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Activists, including comedian Jon Stewart, accused the GOP of “cruelty” after some senators who voted for an earlier version of the bill voted not to advance it. Republicans, meanwhile, accuse Democrats of introducing new spending and complain that their amendments were not included. Veterans Affairs Secretary Dennis McDonagh told the “State of the Union” that a Toomey amendment would put a “year-to-year” limit on what the department can spend on burn-exposed veterans and would lead to a “compartmental of care”. Biden, in a FaceTime call from isolation after recording another positive Covid-19 test on Saturday, promised protesters on Capitol Hill that he would fight for the legislation “as long as I have breath left in me.” However, Toomey told Tapper that he had long voiced his opposition to the measure, wanting funding for burn care included in appropriations each year rather than in the mandatory spending column. He said the current legislation would allow Democrats to divert $400 billion to other purposes. And he denied claims that Republicans are holding up the bill to prevent Democrats from scoring another victory after the Manchin-Schumer deal was struck, calling them “absurd and dishonest.” But the sight of Republicans voting against veterans health care — regardless of the complicated details of the case — threatens to further create the impression that the party is becoming more extreme. And it also takes the focus away from the key issues most likely to sway the midterms in the GOP’s favor, such as inflation, gas prices and Biden’s low approval rating.
