Manchin touts deal on climate, taxes; tries to nudge Sen. Sinema

Sen. Joe Manchin spent Sunday talking up his recent deal on major climate and tax legislation while appearing to cajole a fellow centrist whose support is crucial to passing the bill, a top priority for Democrats.

Last week, Manchin agreed on the plan to fight climate change, raise corporate taxes and reduce drug costs — an abrupt reversal after the West Virginia Democrat had repeatedly stymied key parts of President Biden’s agenda.

Manchin on Sunday insisted the tax changes aren’t really increases and the plan will fight the country’s record-high inflation — the concern he’d cited as recently as July 15 for opposing ambitious climate legislation.

“This is all about fighting inflation,” Manchin said of the deal on ABC’s “This Week.” “We’re not spending money; we’re investing.” He went on to note that the deal has a roughly $400 billion price tag — far below the $3.5 trillion proposal that he and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) killed off last year.

Manchin’s deal, which he announced with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday, includes $369 billion for climate and energy initiatives. Manchin said the funding will bring down gas prices, which went over $5 per gallon earlier this year but have since decreased.

“This is all about the absolutely horrible position that people are in now because of the inflation costs — whether it be gasoline, whether it be food pricing, whether it be energy pricing — and it’s around energy, mostly, that’s driving this high inflation,” Manchin told CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“This is going to … take care of that, because this is aggressively producing more energy to get more supply to get the prices down.”

He also defended the plan’s tax changes, which are aimed at raising roughly $451 billion in revenue over the next decade.

“We didn’t raise taxes,” the senator said. “The corporate tax in America in 2017, before the Republican tax cut, was 35%. They cut it to 21%. … All the people that I know are paying 21% or more. Some of the largest corporations of a billion dollars of value or more don’t even want to pay the minimum of 15%,” he continued. “This is [about] fairness in closing a loophole.”

Sinema did not participate in Manchin and Schumer’s talks. She appears to be willing to let Republicans modify the legislation, according to Axios.

Manchin said the legislation reflected views held by Sinema, whose vote is needed to pass any bills in the evenly divided Senate.

“She’s always been adamant about we’re not going to be raising taxes,” Manchin said. “And I agree with her wholeheartedly. I made very, very, very careful evaluations that we wouldn’t raise any taxes.”

Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” he called Sinema “very instrumental” on shaping the deal’s measures on prescription drugs. The legislation would require Medicare to negotiate prices on some drugs, among other steps to lower costs.

The deal has drawn scorn from Republicans, with Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) saying that Manchin has been duped.

“I like Joe Manchin very much, he and I’ve become friends over the years that we’ve served together in the Senate,” Toomey said on CNN “State of the Union.” “But it really looks to me like Joe Manchin has been taken to the cleaners.”

Still, the West Virginian refused to voice support of Democrats in upcoming elections.

Asked on “This Week” if he wants Biden to be reelected, he changed the topic.

“Everybody’s worried about the election. That’s the problem. It’s a 2022 election, 2024 election,” Manchin said. “I’m not getting involved in that.”

He also wouldn’t say if he wants Democrats to maintain control of Congress after the fall midterms.

“Whatever the voters choose … I’ve always taken the approach, whoever you send me, that’s your representative and I respect them,” he told “Meet the Press.” “I don’t play the politics that way.”

With News Wire Services