I hate to be cynical, but I have become good at it. When Senators start criticizing bills that they have passed, you know that an election is near (even if it’s a year away).
On Wednesday, The Hill reported:
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Wednesday said he will keep up his battle against the Biden administration and officials who seek to “undermine” the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as part of their “radical climate agenda” on the first anniversary of it being signed into law.
The West Virginia moderate, in a lengthy statement on the anniversary of the IRA being signed into law, praised parts of the legislation, which he helped author.
The article quotes Senator Manchin:
“With respect to energy security, and contrary to those in the Biden Administration who seek to undermine this goal, this law re-established an all-of-the-above energy policy and empowered the growth of fossil fuels and renewables,” Manchin said. “If implemented as designed the IRA will ensure that all Americans have more reliable and more affordable power for years to come.”
“Make no mistake, the IRA is exactly the kind of legislation that in normal political times both political parties would proudly embrace because it is about putting the interests of Americans and West Virginians first,” Manchin continued. “Going forward I will push back on those who seek to undermine this significant legislation for their respective political agenda, and that begins with my unrelenting fight against the Biden Administration’s efforts to implement the IRA as a radical climate agenda instead of implementing the IRA that was passed into law.”
The bill that was passed into law was a green energy bill. Senator Manchin would have had to incredibly naive not to know that. His current comments are nothing more than the result of having a viable opponent in his next campaign for the Senate. The IRA has been more the cause of inflation than a solution. It has increased the energy costs for Americans and resulted in less reliable energy for many Americans. The quest for green energy in North Carolina resulted in the first brownouts in the history of the state last December. If the Biden administration continues to implement its energy policies, we can expect more brownouts in the future. Remember, Senator Manchin voted FOR the IRA.