The Hill S Morning Report Can Democrats Pass Manchin Schumer Bill This Week

As he has been for much of the past year, Manchin was the ever-present Democrat on Sunday as he took part in five televised interviews just days after he and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) shocked everyone with their rumored deal. ». around the Hill. He did so to support the $670 billion climate, health care and tax package, hailing it as a tool to fight inflation despite reports suggesting the opposite could be the case. “How in the world can it be inflammatory?” Manchin told CNN’s “State of the Union.” “How can it add fuel to the fires of inflation right now if you’re paying down the debt, increasing more production from the mineral-to-energy industry and doing it more cleanly [than] anywhere in the world?” “This is not a green deal. It’s not a Republican deal. It’s not a Democratic deal. It’s a red, white and blue symphony. And that’s what the American people want, solutions and a balanced energy approach,” Manchin continued. ▪ The Hill: Manchin defends climate, tax deal with Schumer in multishow blitz. ▪ CNN: Manchin says Republicans in ‘normal times’ would support energy and health care bills. The centrist Democrat noted that the plan would invest in reliable energy and new technologies, focusing on domestic production for “aggressive manufacturing” in the US and lower costs for Americans. However, “But in all of that, they don’t count for any of that,” he claimed (The Hill). As for the tax increases included in the bill—a new 15 percent minimum tax on large, profitable corporations—Manchin argued that they are not actually tax increases. Instead, he defended them as loopholes (The Wall Street Journal). However, the issue of raising taxes could be a problem for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. The Arizona Democrat has made it known over the past year that she opposes an element of the legislation that would reduce the carried interest loophole. He has refused to weigh in on the bill since it was released. The bottom line: Sinema is one of the last hopes for Republicans as they hope to derail this bill. “It has a backbone of steel. It’s not going to turn around easily,” Sen. John Barrasso (Wyo.), a member of the GOP leadership, told Fox News on Sunday. “In terms of whether this is going to pass, they need all 50 Democrats on board and in the room. … 50 senators haven’t shown up for work in a month. So that’s a long way from happening.” Barrasso is referring to the impact that COVID-19 has had on the chamber in recent weeks, as at least a few Democrats have tested positive for the virus, including Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), who will miss this week’s commencement while in quarantine. Everything is expected to come to an end this week. Schumer and top Democrats will try to push the bill through the upper chamber before senators recess for the August recess. ▪ The Hill: Manchin says Sinema wasn’t involved in discussions on the bill because he “didn’t think it was going to end.” ▪ Politico: Manchin to Sinema: Believe in this bill. ▪ The Hill: This week: Senate Democrats race to finish tax and climate package — if Sinema signs on. ▪ Bloomberg News: Manchin’s spending deal includes billions in oil sector taxes. While Manchin defended the package, one thing he did not defend was the Democratic Party’s prospects for success in the midterm elections, declining to say whether his party would remain in control after November. “I think the Democrats have great candidates running. They are good people I have worked with. And I have tremendous respect and friendship with my Republican colleagues. … So I can work on both sides very easily.” Manchin told “Meet the Press.” However, he declined to comment on any medium-term hopes. “I don’t play politics like that. I don’t like it that way. I am not who I am,” he said (The Hill). He also sidestepped whether he hopes Biden will seek a second term. “I’m not going into 2022 or 2024,” he said, adding “whoever is my president, that’s my president” (The Associated Press). Amid Manchin’s comments, the White House had a different agenda Sunday: Republicans blocking a bill last week aimed at helping veterans exposed to toxic burns. Veterans Affairs Secretary Dennis McDonough argued that GOP senators’ proposed changes to the bill would lead to “streamlining of care for vets.” The bill fell five votes short after only eight Republicans joined all 47 Democrats who voted. GOP senators accused Democrats of including a “fiscal gimmick” in funding the bill (The Hill). The Hill: Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), who is retiring this year, defends the burn pit vote, citing Jon Stewart’s “false accusations.” 🌏 Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is in Singapore today where she is expected to meet with President Halimah Yacob and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong as well as several cabinet ministers. There is no media access to her visit (The Associated Press). He announced Sunday that he also plans to travel to Malaysia, South Korea and Japan on the congressional trip to “reaffirm America’s strong and unwavering commitment to our allies and friends in the region.” Taiwan was left off the itinerary, possibly for security reasons. Her plans for the island nation, which would anger China if she visited, have not been revealed. “It is my privilege as President to lead this distinguished group of members, which includes jurisdictional Committee and Subcommittee Chairs and advocates for a strong US-Asia-Pacific partnership,” Pelosi said in a press release. “We look forward to productive meetings that will continue to inform the work of Congress to advance our values ​​and interests and strengthen our partnerships in the region” (Axios). Relevant Articles ▪ The Hill: Manchin-Schumer bill could reduce deficit. Inflation — that’s debatable, experts say. ▪ The New York Times: Biden Enjoys Much-Needed Wins. But will the highs eclipse the lows? ▪ The Hill: A bipartisan antibiotic bill faces a critical stretch. ▪ The Wall Street Journal: Senate tax and climate plan hinges on streamlining energy projects. PROGRAM OF THE DAY ➤ POLITICS Sunday marked 100 days until the midterm elections, and Republicans are firmly in the driver’s seat to retake at least one chamber of Congress in an effort to regain some of the Democratic Party’s power. A new estimate released by CBS News on Sunday projected that Republicans would pick up a net 16 seats in November, giving them a total of 230 to just 205 for the incumbent party. Each party needs 218 seats to win a majority. According to the network, the main reason voters are leaning in the direction of the GOP is “the state of the country,” headlined by rising costs and inflation forcing families to pinch pennies and make tough financial decisions. Among those voters who say they base their vote a lot on it, Republicans lead by 16 points. Adding to the issues, key segments of the Democratic electorate may be on the sidelines in just over three months. Of those expected to attend, 38 percent are expected to be Republicans, 34 percent Democrats and 27 percent independents, a four-point change from 2018, when Democrats regained the House majority. Another key factor for November is how the primary contests play out over the next two months, including five states that will vote on Tuesday: Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington. ▪ Mike Lillis, The Hill: Democrats battle each other to help pro-Trump GOP candidates. ▪ Josh Kraushaar, Axios: The left is losing momentum. ▪ The Hill: 11 games we’re watching in Tuesday’s prelims. ▪ The Associated Press: What to watch in the Arizona, Michigan primary, elsewhere. © Associated Press / Sue Ogrocki | “I Voted” stickers at an early voting location in Oklahoma, June 23. In the Show Me State, Republicans are in the midst of their final push to close the door on former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) and his chances of winning the GOP Senate nomination on Tuesday. At the center of that effort is a barrage of airwaves from an anti-Greitens super PAC highlighting allegations of domestic violence against the disgraced former governor. As The Hill’s Max Greenwood notes, top GOP donors — including Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) — are throwing in the dough, hoping to land one final blow on his bid. According to recent polls, it’s working. Multiple polls show state Attorney General Eric Schmitt (R) has jumped to the top of the race, with Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) trailing in second. ▪ The Hill: Why Texas Democrats are feeling a sense of déjà vu. ▪ Hanna Trudo, The Hill: How Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) is taking on Mehmet Oz with an “irreverent,” highly online campaign. In the 2024 scene, former President Trump continues to openly flirt with a third bid at the White House. But there are skeptics in Senate GOP ranks about whether the former president can win the party’s nomination for a third straight term for two reasons: the damage from the Jan. 6 probe and how formidable the Republican field is shaping up in 2024 to be. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), no fan of the former commander-in-chief, predicted Trump would face a tight primary from corners of the…