Democrat Senator Manchin has slowly been shifting right. He’s not pulling any punches.
And Joe Manchin just blindsided Joe Biden in this viral video.
The Democrats have a razor-thin majority in the U.S. Senate.
With Joe Manchin being one of the pivotal votes in any legislative battle, Democrats are getting worried about his growing dissent from Biden and the Left.
But he didn’t leave any room for guessing where he stands in this TV interview.
On Monday, Manchin chastised President Joe Biden and his administration for breaching “their word to the American public” on the Inflation Reduction Act and for failing to discuss the debt ceiling with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).
During an appearance on Fox News’ Hannity, Manchin claimed he will repeal the Inflation Reduction Act because the Biden administration is not upholding its word.
“This legislation was balanced,” Manchin told Sean Hannity. “In the next 10 years, we are going to have enough fossil fuel to run our country and to help our allies around the world. We will also be investing in new technology for the future. Now, the Biden administration has utterly ignored this.”
The Biden administration is breaking its word to the American public by ignoring the text of the #InflationReductionAct to pursue its radical climate agenda. Let me be clear: if this continues, I'll do everything in my power to stop them — including voting to repeal the IRA. pic.twitter.com/d1l4SUUYcN
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) April 25, 2023
Manchin claimed the bill was about energy security, but he claims he hasn’t heard the White House mention it once since the legislation was approved, instead focusing on the environment.
“Let me be very clear: If the administration does not honor what they said they would do and continue to liberalize what we are supposed to invest in over the next 10 years, I will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening,” Manchin said.
“And if they don’t change, then I would vote to repeal my own bill.”
The West Virginia senator also chastised Biden for failing to reach an agreement with House Republicans on the debt ceiling.
Of the president, he said, “He can’t play Russian roulette with the debt and debt ceiling. That would be disastrous for our economy and for the American people. … This is the United States, not the divided states. You have got to get in a room and work out the differences for the sake of our country.”
Manchin and the White House have had their share of disagreements in recent months, with the debt ceiling being the most recent.
Manchin alleged last week that Biden was demonstrating a “deficiency of leadership” by not meeting with McCarthy and “compromising” on the debt ceiling.
In late March, he even published an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizing Biden’s “betrayal” of the Inflation Reduction Act and detailing how it affects the debt ceiling.
McCarthy has not received the approval of his whole caucus for his idea to lift the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion over the next year, or until March 31, 2024, whichever comes first.
To avoid a financial default, the debt limit, or the maximum amount the federal government may borrow, will need to be raised or eliminated sometime this summer.
Economists have warned that a default would have severe economic effects. In three months, Biden has not budge on his reluctance to negotiate on the debt ceiling, and White House officials have chastised McCarthy and House Republicans for demanding that spending conversations be tied to the debt ceiling hike.
Stay tuned to Prudent Politics.
