Manchin Continues Feud With Biden Admin, Backs GOP Bills To Roll Back Two Pillars Of Biden Climate Agenda

Senator Joe Manchin Fires Latest Salvo in Ongoing Conflict with Biden Administration over Climate Policy

The ongoing conflict between moderate Democrat Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) and the Biden administration over climate policy continues to escalate. In a bold move, Manchin has lent his support to two Republican proposals aimed at overturning key pieces of the Biden climate agenda.

Manchin Casts Deciding Vote to Overturn EPA Regulations on Trucks

First, Manchin cast the deciding vote to pass a GOP-backed bill that would overturn EPA regulations on trucks. The Senate passed a Congressional Review Act joint resolution on Wednesday that would roll back the EPA’s stringent restrictions on nitrogen oxides and particulate matter emissions from heavy-duty trucks. The vote was 50-49, with Manchin casting the deciding vote.

“The last couple of years have shown that truck drivers keep our country moving,” Manchin said in a statement after the vote. “However, the Biden Administration wants to burden the trucking industry with oppressive regulations that will increase prices by thousands of dollars and push truck drivers and small trucking companies out of business. When our country faces record-high inflation and vulnerable supply chains, we cannot let the EPA continue to seize unrestrained power and create regulations that devastate our economy. I am proud to support this resolution to stop this government overreach.”

The Biden administration has already signaled that the rollback will not become law, with the White House stating that Biden would veto the bill. However, Manchin’s support for the bill sends a strong message to the administration about his stance on climate policy.

Manchin Co-Sponsors Bill to Reinstate Tariffs on Solar Imports

Manchin also co-sponsored a bill that would reinstate tariffs on solar imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Biden administration paused those tariffs in 2022. A Commerce Department report, via Reuters, found that American solar companies are dodging import duties on Chinese-manufactured solar panels by moving them through the four Southeast Asian countries.

“The United States relies on foreign nations, like China, for far too many of our energy needs, and failing to enforce our existing trade laws undermines the goals of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act to onshore our energy supply chains, including solar,” Manchin said in a separate press release. “I cannot fathom why the Administration and Congress would consider extending that reliance any longer and am proud to join this CRA to rescind the rule.”

Manchin’s support for this bill is another indication of his opposition to the Biden administration’s climate policies.

Manchin Threatens to Repeal Inflation Reduction Act

These moves come just two days after Manchin threatened to vote to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden administration’s landmark climate spending bill, if they did not stop their aggressive green energy push. “If this administration does not honor what they said they would do and continue to liberalize [green energy investment] — I will do everything in my power to prevent that from happening,” the senator told Fox News’s Sean Hannity in an interview on Monday. “And if they don’t change, then I would vote to repeal my own bill.”

Manchin’s actions have put him at odds with the Biden administration and other Democrats who are pushing for aggressive action on climate change. It remains to be seen how this conflict will play out, but it is clear that Manchin is not backing down.

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