WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — House Democrats on Friday aired their frustrations at Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, for refusing to back the party’s clean energy proposals.
“It’s unconscionable and it’s infuriating,” Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., said at a press conference. “We must act on this crisis or we’re going to pay increasingly dire consequences.”
They say they fear the window for taking action on climate change is closing.
“We cannot wait, Sen. Manchin,” Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., said.
They say Manchin’s objections ignore science and will tank President Joe Biden’s efforts to combat climate change, with Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., accusing Manchin of thinking “it is more important to defend the filibuster than to defend our planet.”
Without Machin, there’s no way for Democrats to push energy policies through the closely divided Senate. He agrees with many Republicans who fear reforms could drive up consumer costs.
“We’ve seen gas prices double. We’ve seen natural gas prices nearly triple. We’re pushing people into energy poverty,” Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., said at a Friday climate change hearing.
He argued Democrats’ energy strategy was radical and ineffective.
“The United States could cut every bit of emissions today and it wouldn’t have a single impact … on any changes in weather patterns for 50 years, according to the United Nations,” Graves said.
Biden said Friday afternoon that if the Senate fails to act on climate change, he will, using “every power I have as president.”
House Democrats called on voters to elect two more Democrats to the Senate in November, increasing their majority so Manchin’s vote would not be necessary.
