WV U.S. Senator Manchin Pulls Plug On Electrification Subsidies, Budget Reconciliation Package
Last Thursday, U.S. Senator Manchin (D-WV) told Democratic senators he would not support a reconciliation package that included climate spending or taxes on wealthy individuals / corporations.
Manchin reportedly told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) that he would only support legislation that lowered prescription drug prices and extended certain Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) subsidies.
This comes after EMA joined 191 other associations and businesses in a letter opposing potential Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) increases.
Senator Manchin’s decision deals yet another blow to President Biden’s domestic policy agenda. Congressional Democratic leaders will have to determine next steps with limited legislative time remaining.
Any reconciliation package – including the Manchin-supported health care plan described above – must be passed by September 30.
As the White House searches for mechanisms to reduce energy prices, President Biden will travel July 15 from Israel to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and other leaders from oil-exporting Gulf countries.
While President Biden is expected to ask Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and others to produce more oil, Biden officials have conceded that an agreement during the trip is unlikely.
EMA also joined a letter with 84 other organizations to support the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Security Threat Assessment Application Modernization Act (H.R. 6571, S. 4298), which would require TSA to standardize enrollment and renewal systems for individuals applying for various programs, including the Hazardous Materials Endorsement.
The letter is similar to a bipartisan group of U.S. Representatives who urged the Biden Administration to address the current CDL Driver Shortage last month.
In a letter, 67 Congressional Members encouraged the Department of Transportation “to consider modifying the hazardous materials training and testing requirements to focus on HAZMAT specific education.”
The letter also encourages the Department to consider streamlining the TSA Security Threat enrollment process that would allow CDL Drivers to enroll in more than one program – Transportation Worker Identification Credential (“TWIC”), HAZMAT, and TSA Pre Check.
The letter was sent a month after EMA’s DC Conference and “Day on the Hill” where EMA state associations discussed issues plaguing the motor fuels industry and encouraged Congressional Members to join the CDL driver shortage letter.
