House GOP takes ax to Democratic clean energy credits with debt ceiling proposal

Jeremy Beaman

April 19, 04:32 PM April 19, 04:32 PM

House Republicans proposed new debt ceiling legislation Wednesday that would repeal nearly a dozen clean energy subsidies recently authorized by the Democratic Inflation Reduction Act as a way to reduce federal spending.

The GOP proposal would cut or shrink numerous of the tax credits that President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress signed off on in August to expand renewable energy technologies, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and accelerate their climate change agenda, including the new tax credit for consumer purchases of used electric vehicles.

AUXIN SOLAR CEO, FACE OF ANTICIRCUMVENTION TARIFF BATTLE, TALKS TRADE POLICY

Other tax credits that would be repealed include the law's zero-emission nuclear power credit and the new tax $7,500 hundred tax credit for light-duty electric vehicles purchased for commercial use.

The debt ceiling bill also includes elements of HR 1, the House Republican sweeping energy proposal that would increase domestic production of fossil fuels and ease permitting for mining.

"The Limit, Save, Grow Act will limit federal spending, save taxpayers trillions of dollars, grow our economy, and lift the debt limit into next year," House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said. "This legislation will make us less dependent on the whims of the Chinese Communist Party and curb high inflation, all without touching Social Security or Medicare — because no one is hurt more by inflation than seniors."

Republicans have argued the Inflation Reduction Act's tax credits strengthen the advantage of China, which dominates various industries that produce batteries, solar products, and their upstream supply chains.

The law included language designed to bring those industries home or enable their expansion in trade partner countries, although some Democrats, most notably the chief author, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), have complained that the administration is implementing the law too liberally to achieve those goals.

The White House is blasting Republicans' effort to repeal Biden's signature achievement, flipping the script to say their proposal would favor China.

"Let's be clear what MAGA attacks on the Inflation Reduction Act would mean for American families," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday. "Offshore tens of thousands of manufacturing jobs, including in districts many of these members actually represent."

The legislation unveiled Wednesday is McCarthy's first offer in talks with Biden to raise the federal debt ceiling. The limit must be raised by some time this summer or early fall to prevent the Treasury from defaulting on the debt, a prospect the Treasury has said would create massive economic turmoil. Biden has said that he won't negotiate with Republicans over raising the debt limit and has challenged the House GOP to produce a budget resolution to show their plans for taxing and spending.

Another Democrat breaks with Biden over electric vehicle tax credit guidance

Samantha-Jo Roth

April 06, 05:35 PM April 06, 05:35 PM

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) is speaking out about the Biden administration’s electric vehicle tax credit guidance, saying their “go-it-alone approach on trade policy is risky and unsustainable.”

Beyer’s comments come as the U.S. Treasury Department unveiled stricter electric vehicle tax rules recently in an effort to wean the United States off dependence on China for EV battery supply chains. The guidance, set to take effect for vehicle purchases starting April 18, triggers new requirements for critical mineral and battery components.

MANCHIN BLASTS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TREASURY DEPARTMENT FOR 'PATHETIC' EV TAX CREDIT MOVE

The Inflation Reduction Act requires 50% of the value of battery components to be produced or assembled in North America to qualify for a $3,750 credit and 40% of the value of critical minerals sourced from the U.S. or a free trade partner for a $3,750 credit.

Recently, the U.S. and Japan struck a new trade deal on EV battery minerals, which is now included in the Treasury’s guidance. The move is frustrating some lawmakers after the Biden administration orchestrated a free trade agreement without congressional approval.

“Changing the basic definition of free trade agreements for the purposes of skirting Congress’s intent in the Inflation Reduction Act, even for laudable climate and diplomatic goals, could easily be reversed by a future administration and set our climate agenda back immeasurably,” Beyer said in a statement on Thursday.

“Trade policy is best conducted in collaboration with Congress, as that requires buy-in from a wide cross-section of stakeholders throughout the economy and provides more certainty to our trade partners,” he added.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, threatened to sue the Biden administration last week before the new guidance was issued and slammed the proposed rules as insufficient when they were unveiled.

The West Virginia Democrat, who is currently still deciding whether to run for reelection in a deep red state, said the guidance from the Treasury “ignores the intent of the Inflation Reduction Act.”

“It is horrific that the administration continues to ignore the purpose of the law which is to bring manufacturing back to America and ensure we have reliable and secure supply chains,” Manchin said in a statement. “American tax dollars should not be used to support manufacturing jobs overseas.”

Biden's fight with Manchin over key legislation adds to pile of overreach claims

Haisten Willis

April 04, 05:35 AM April 04, 05:35 AM

Senators who delivered historic legislative wins to President Joe Biden last year are beginning to regret it.

Bipartisan complaints from the upper chamber now add to a long list of accusations that the Biden administration is exceeding the powers granted to the executive branch.

CHRIS CHRISTIE'S MISSION: TRUMP DESTROYER OR TRUE CONTENDER?

"I think they're going to try to screw me on this, and I'm willing to go to court," Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) said during comments at the SAFE Summit, an industry conference focused on electrification. "I'm willing to stop it all."

Manchin provided the crucial vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which, among other things, included a $7,500 tax credit for electrical vehicles intended to promote both green energy and American manufacturing. But some of the buy-American provisions upset Asian and European allies, and Biden later told French President Emmanuel Macron there were "tweaks" that could be made even though the bill had already been signed into law.

Those tweaks were unveiled Friday when the Treasury Department announced it would open electric vehicle tax credits to more foreign exporters' products.

Manchin was furious, saying the "horrific" move undercuts the bill's intent to bring manufacturing back to the United States and would "cede control" to the Chinese Communist Party.

He also threatened to sue.

"I think they're going to try to screw me on this, and I'm willing to go to court," Manchin said.

Just a few weeks prior, a group of Republican senators felt similar remorse. They had helped pass the CHIPS and Science Act, which was designed to promote American semiconductor manufacturing, and were upset the Biden administration stipulated on its own that companies receiving money from the bill would have to provide child care, detail their relationships with unions, share profits beyond a certain threshold with the government, and purchase supplies from domestic producers, among other requirements.

"We are in strong opposition to regulations your Department is putting in place that will use this legislation and the funding it provides as a tool to pursue controversial policies that go beyond the requirements of the law," wrote Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and John Cornyn (R-TX).

While those are the two most recent examples, accusations of executive overreach have been lobbed at Biden since the early days of his presidency. Those claims have included the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's eviction moratorium, the federal vaccine mandate for private employers, the federal mask mandate, Biden's $400 billion student debt transfer, efforts to ban gas stoves and curtail independent contracting, and even an attempt to expand the definition of "waters of the United States."

"Executive overreach has become synonymous with the Biden administration," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said during a Senate floor speech in March. "It’s created a desperate need for oversight from my Republican colleagues, both in the Senate and in the House of Representatives."

Capito mentioned an analysis from the American Action Forum, which found that the Biden administration has imposed 539 regulatory actions since taking office, creating $359 billion in costs.

Spearheaded by Capito, the Senate later voted to overturn a WOTUS rule that could have placed federal regulations on small, temporary waterways.

But Manchin, who faces long odds at reelection in 2024, may not be so lucky, and his conservative manufacturing-heavy state could be negatively affected if the Inflation Reduction Act's tax credits are diluted.

"We have a respectful, a productive relationship with Sen. Joe Manchin," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about his criticisms of the Inflation Reduction Act. "And we are very proud of the Inflation Reduction Act and our shared goals and values that the President signed into law, as you know, this past summer."

The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.

Republicans have vowed to rein the White House in now that they control the House of Representatives, but the biggest check on Biden's power may be the Supreme Court.

The high court has struck down a series of pandemic-related administration moves, including the eviction moratorium, vaccine and mask mandates, and efforts to regulate emissions, and may do so with student loans as well.

"Some of the biggest mistakes in the court's history were deferring to assertions of executive or emergency power," Justice Brett Kavanaugh said during the student loans hearings. "Some of the finest moments in the court's history were pushing back against presidential assertions of emergency power, and that's continued not just in the Korean War but post-9/11, in some of the cases there."

Manchin criticizes Biden for placing 'ideological agenda' over debt ceiling negotiations

Cami Mondeaux

March 30, 09:13 AM March 30, 09:16 AM

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) hit out against President Joe Biden on Wednesday, accusing the president of pushing his “ideological agenda” rather than meeting with members of Congress to address inflation and the looming debt ceiling crisis.

In an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal, Manchin criticized Biden over his administration’s implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark bill the West Virginia Democrat helped construe to reduce the country’s deficit and promote energy security. However, Manchin accused Biden administration officials of abusing the Inflation Reduction Act to increase spending levels unilaterally, calling the act a “betrayal.”

MANCHIN THREATENS TO SUE TREASURY OVER ELECTRIC VEHICLE TAX CREDITS

“While all parties have a responsibility to negotiate in good faith, recent actions make clear to me that the Biden administration is determined to pursue an ideological agenda rather than confront the clear and present danger that debts and deficits pose to our nation,” Manchin wrote. “Instead of implementing the law as intended, unelected ideologues, bureaucrats and appointees seem determined to violate and subvert the law to advance a partisan agenda that ignores both energy and fiscal security.”

Manchin specifically accused the Biden administration of ignoring stipulations in the Inflation Reduction Act to expand fossil fuel energy by redefining “domestic energy” to align with its own clean energy initiatives.

“The administration is attempting at every turn to implement the bill it wanted, not the bill Congress actually passed,” he wrote. “Ignoring the debt and deficit implications of these actions as the time nears to raise the debt ceiling isn’t only wrong, it’s policy and political malpractice.”

The West Virginia senator urged Biden to reverse those actions, offering a two-step plan to rein in the so-called “extremism.”

First, Manchin called on Biden to meet with “fiscally minded” Republicans and Democrats to negotiate a solution to the debt ceiling crisis, urging the president to end his stalemate with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to come to an agreement. Biden and McCarthy initially met in January to discuss the debt ceiling, but the pair have not met since — with Biden maintaining he would not negotiate further until Republicans release their budget for the next fiscal year.

Manchin criticized Biden for his refusal to meet, urging the president to find areas in his own budget proposal to negotiate.

“While we can all acknowledge that raising the debt limit is an absolute necessity and Republicans shouldn’t threaten otherwise, are we seriously to believe there is no room to negotiate?” Manchin wrote. “Does the federal government operate so efficiently and effectively that there truly isn’t a dollar of waste, fraud or abuse? Let’s get serious.”

Manchin also pressed Biden to instruct his administration officials to implement the Inflation Reduction Act “as written” rather than interpreting its provisions to advance their own agenda.

“The president has the power, today, to direct his administration to follow the law, as well as to sit down with congressional leaders and negotiate meaningful, serious reforms to the federal budget,” Manchin wrote. “Failing to do so may score political points with left-wing partisans, but generations of Americans will ultimately pay the price.”

Biden responded to Manchin’s criticisms on Thursday morning, noting the president and senator share a “strong and productive relationship.” However, Biden did not indicate whether he would call for a meeting with congressional leaders.

"We are proud of the Inflation Reduction Act and our shared goals it achieves — promoting America’s energy security, strengthening supply chains, creating good-paying manufacturing jobs, and investing in energy communities and towns across America that have been left behind,” the White House said in a statement.

Manchin sidesteps question about whether he will run for Senate in 2024

Ryan King

February 26, 12:44 PM February 26, 12:53 PM

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) sidestepped questions about whether he will run for reelection in 2024 amid reports of him privately flip-flopping on the matter.

Host Maria Bartiromo asked the senator about his election plans for 2024, noting that he ruled out running for president in a recent radio interview but has been mum about whether he will run for Senate or governor.

MANCHIN 'CHANGED HIS MIND MULTIPLE TIMES' ABOUT RUNNING AGAIN AS FUNDRAISING STALLS

"My main concern is how do we bring this country together. How do we make it work, how do we make Democrats, Republicans become Americans again, and not just party affiliates," Manchin replied during an interview with WHD News's Sunday Morning Futures.

"I'm going to do whatever I can to help my country come together, and my state come together," he later added.

When she pressed him about whether he still identifies as a Democrat, Manchin quipped, "I identify as an American." Manchin won his statewide race in an area where former President Donald Trump won by nearly 40 percentage points in 2020.

Polls indicate that he would have stiff competition if West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) enters the race. So far, his main declared rival is Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV), whom he is leading in some recent polls. Part of his concerns about running for reelection stems from concerns about losing to Justice, per Puck News.

Manchin's seat is one of the most vulnerable in the 2024 Senate election cycle that is shaping up to have one of the most brutal maps for Democrats in decades. Democrats will have to defend 23 seats held by the party, including three held by Democratic-aligned independent senators, while the GOP will only have to defend 11.

The West Virginia senator was pivotal in giving President Joe Biden one of his signature legislative victories with the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act after having torpedoed multiple iterations of Biden's so-called Build Back Better agenda.

"This administration has sold that as an environmental bill only. It is an energy security bill. We're not going to be expanding all of the new technology for renewables as some people would wish unless we have the horsepower to run our country," Manchin reflected on the bill. "It's not been sold that way, and it's unfortunate."

When asked whether he had any regrets about backing the Inflation Reduction Act, especially in light of the reported permitting reforms he sought failing to manifest, Manchin said "no" and cited its boon for United States energy.

"If people don't think that bill is working, then why is Europe so upset? Because everyone's coming to America now to make these investments. So, it's going to be a great bill," Manchin quipped.

Top three takeaways from the Colorado Senate Debate

Misty Severi

October 29, 12:53 AM October 29, 12:53 AM

The Republican and Democratic nominees for Colorado Senate took part in their only debate Friday, covering a wide variety of topics including immigration, the Inflation Reduction Act, and keeping Space Command in Colorado.

TRUMP TAKES AIM AT GOP CANDIDATE JOE O'DEA IN FINAL STRETCH OF COLORADO SENATE RACE

Immigration:

During the debate, Republican nominee Joe O’Dea said he would not support a bill that would give Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients a pathway to citizenship if it did not include funding for a border wall. However, he did say he would support a pathway to citizenship if it was part of a bill that did include funding for the wall.

“We need a comprehensive bill. We need one that safes up and secures the border, which includes putting up a barrier,” O’Dea said. “In that same bill, I would support legislation that would include DACA recipients getting their citizenship. In addition to that, we need to streamline our immigration system. It needs to be predictable.”

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), who is seeking reelection in the state, did jump on board with funding a DACA only bill and blamed former President Donald Trump for the stalemate on immigration.

“That puts me in a totally different place than where Joe O’Dea is, who just said he wouldn’t vote for a standalone bill for DACA," Bennet said. “Unfortunately, the president that Joe O’Dea voted for twice after he called Mexicans rapists on the first day of his campaign, made it impossible for the national Republican Party to move forward on immigration."

Inflation Reduction Act:

Bennet was one of the senators who voted for the Democratic Inflation Reduction Act, which was a climate, health care, and tax bill passed earlier this year. However, O'Dea claimed the bill was ineffective when it comes to fixing inflation.

“You just voted for an Inflation Reduction Act that even Bernie Sanders says doesn’t reduce inflation,” O’Dea stated.

The comment came after Bennet scolded O'Dea for claiming Colorado residents were paid to sit on the couch.

“I think it’s so insulting to Coloradans when Joe says, ‘Coloradans need to get off the couch’ … People in this economy, with this inflation, are killing themselves,” Bennet said. “The problem is not that people need to get off the couch in Colorado.”

O'Dea promises to pull a Joe Manchin to keep Space Command if elected:

O'Dea claimed that Bennet could have pulled a "Joe Manchin" to keep Space Command in Colorado, instead of relocating to Alabama as approved under the Trump administration. O'Dea was referring to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) who has stopped multiple bills from passing that he believed would hurt his constituents, thereby blocking the Democratic Party given its small majority in the Senate.

“I’m going to use my seat like Joe Manchin has used his seat to get good things for West Virginia,” O’Dea said. “All Michael Bennet had to do was say, ‘You know what, I’m going to hold up this appointment. I’m going to hold up this bill. I’m going to hold up that bill.’ Fifty is what the count is, and they needed every vote. And I would use my seat to make sure that we keep Space Command here in Colorado. It’s that important. If you would have held up one just of those votes, one of those votes, we would have Space Command here.”

Bennet said he had taken the issue to the White House and Vice President Kamala Harris but was not successful. Bennet added that O'Dea did not break from former President Donald Trump when he decided to move the base out of Colorado.

The candidates were able to agree on gun control, except O'Dea did not approve of raising the minimum age from 18 to 21.

Polls currently have Bennet up by approximately 10 points in the Senate race, with 49.5% of the vote on average, according to polling aggregate FiveThirtyEight.

SEE IT: Biden’s Pinocchio nose grows in NYC billboard

Heather Hamilton

August 21, 10:02 AM August 21, 10:06 AM

A marketing campaign opposed to the Inflation Reduction Act has erected a billboard in New York City, exclusively targeting what it calls President Joe Biden’s broken promises to small businesses.

Position Creators Network unveiled the “Stop Lying to Little Businesses” billboard in Times Square on Friday, blasting tax improves and the adding of Inner Earnings Provider agents.

“The Biden administration has certainly taken small business house owners and the American individuals for a journey — enjoying speedy and free with the facts at each option,” JCN CEO Alfredo Ortiz instructed the Washington Examiner in a assertion. “Despite spin from the White Residence press place, the financial system is in the dumps, wage boosts are remaining engulfed by high inflation, and tiny businesses and the center course will be topic to tax improves that roll downhill.”

View: DESANTIS States IRS Expansion IS BIDEN Giving US ‘MIDDLE FINGER’

The electronic billboard advert, which capabilities the graphic of Biden and his nose expanding, thoughts the validity of Biden’s campaign claims linked to taxes, IRS audits, and inflation.

“Administration officers are probable spinning the real truth in an attempt to reverse absolutely free falling acceptance ratings, but compact organizations will not be duped,” Ortiz explained. “Now with this billboard, Biden’s expanding Pinocchio nose is on exhibit for all Individuals to see.”

Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which delivers $80 billion to overhaul the IRS, like a $46 billion provision that has led to estimates that the IRS would seek the services of 87,000 additional agents above 10 many years to swap the 50,000 who are intended to retire in that time body. Having said that, the invoice does not explicitly say that variety, as some Republicans have indicated.

IRS Commissioner Chuck Rettig defended the Inflation Reduction Act, stating it will provide extra services to taxpayers.

"The IRS has struggled for lots of a long time with insufficient resources to fulfill our critical mission," Rettig reported. ”During the upcoming 10 many years, these funds will aid us in quite a few areas, like including vital sources to not just near the tax gap but meaningfully make improvements to taxpayer support and technology."

The billboard is part of a collection of JCN ads not too long ago focusing on the Biden administration’s handling of the financial system.

Democrats get ready to go Inflation Reduction Act, securing big get for Biden

Cami Mondeaux

August 12, 07:52 AM August 12, 07:52 AM

Home Democrats are set to pass the Inflation Reduction Act on Friday, securing a big get for the occasion and President Joe Biden’s agenda just months just before the midterm elections in November.

After much more than a calendar year of intraparty clashes and uncertainties about no matter whether the spending legislation would make it by means of Congress, the vote on Friday is predicted to be drama-free and without surprises. Democrats from all corners of the celebration have praised the monthly bill for having intense local climate motion, reducing health care expenditures, and decreasing the deficit, though Republicans blasted it as irresponsible to pass this kind of a huge expending invoice throughout a recession.

THE WINNERS AND LOSERS IN THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT

The vote comes a lot less than a week right after the Senate handed the monthly bill on Sunday subsequent an intensive, all-evening collection of votes. The legislation’s long run has been unclear around the very last calendar year as Senate Democrats sought to get centrist Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) on board. Having said that, it’s possible the vote on Friday will go with no any defections from Household Democrats.

“If you can get Bernie Sanders and Joe Manchin and Chuck Schumer and Kyrsten Sinema all to vote for anything … I’ve gotta feel this is likely to move,” explained Policies Committee Chairman Jim McGovern (D-MA) on Thursday. “I never know of any Democrats that are going to defect.”

The press to go the invoice devoid of any drama could be owing in part to the actuality that Democrats are astonished they get to vote on the laws at all. Just months back, the potential customers of passing the significant paying out monthly bill seemed grim because of to Manchin's problems about increasing inflation.

The consumer price index assessment for July observed that inflation in excess of the earlier calendar year was 8.5%, down from June's 9.1%. Although even now superior, the truth that inflation failed to worsen above the final thirty day period may simplicity the presently around-confident passage along party traces in the Dwelling on Friday.

The evaluate will search for to minimize the country’s deficit by $300 billion about the up coming 10 several years. Among the its provisions, it will broaden health insurance subsidies, boost funding for the Inside Revenue Provider, and provide monetary incentives to firms that prioritize renewable electrical power.