In surprising news on Wednesday, Senator Joe Manchin said he would vote for President Biden and the Democrats massive spending bill in the midst of the highest inflation since 1981. Now, it’s come out that Bill Gates and other business leaders lobbied the senator to pass the package.
He was also lobbied by former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Director of the National Economic Council Larry Summers.
Here’s Manchin defending the bill to Jake Tapper on CNN.
“It was across the board,” Collin O’Mara, CEO of the National Wildlife Federation who took part in the talks, told Politico. “He heard from a wide range.”
On Friday in response to Manchin’s announcement, Gates tweeted, “Really excited to see Senators Schumer and Manchin come together in what could be a historic step forward for the climate.”
The two of them released a joint statement saying: “The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 will make a historic down payment on deficit reduction to fight inflation, invest in domestic energy production and manufacturing and reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40% by 2030.”
The bill is expected to face staunch opposition from the GOP in the House and Senate and is a major reversal from the Senator’s previous stances on the Democrat plans.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has already confirmed that she plans to pass the bill once it passes the Senate, according to the AP. Meanwhile, Schumer plans to pass it this week in the Senate despite the fact that two Senators are currently out. Sen. Richard Durbin has come down with the pandemic virus and Sen. Patrick Leahy is out for for hip surgery. They are both expected to return this week, however.
Why do you think Manchin flipped? What did Bill gates tell him that caused him to flip on his previously held positions? What do you think they offered him or was it something else? We’re interested in your thoughts.
