Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), the Senate’s key swing vote, met with lawmakers from across the ideological spectrum Monday evening as part of a new push for bipartisan climate change legislation.
Manchin spokesperson Sam Runyon told The Hill via email that the meeting was “an effort to gauge bipartisan interest in a path forward that addressed our nation’s climate and energy security needs head on.”
The latest: Manchin on Tuesday appeared to say that the push doesn’t mean that climate change provisions will come out of a Democrat-only reconciliation measure that lawmakers are negotiating.
“No, no, no....people we’re talking to are as concerned about having reliable energy as they are about making sure that we do it better than anyone does it in the world, so climate’s gong to be a big factor,” Manchin said when asked if the effort means that climate should come out of reconciliation.
But he also said “he knows on energy that I’m working with a group trying to find a bipartisan way that we want to move forward,” referring to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).
And, Manchin said that the reconciliation bill should focus on fighting inflation and the deficit.
More info on the meeting: Monday’s meeting was first reported by NBC News, which said that Manchin organized the meeting alongside Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
Murkowski spokesperson Hannah Ray described the meeting as “a high-level discussion on energy and climate” in an email to The Hill.
So who all was there? A source familiar confirmed to The Hill that the other attendees were:
- Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.)
- Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.)
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Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii)
- Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.)
- Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.)
- Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)
- Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.)
The source said that there have been other Republicans involved.
Additional takes:
Khanna told The Hill in a statement that “passing a bold climate bill is my highest priority” and that he was “pleased to participate with colleagues on finding a way forward,”
A spokesperson for Cramer directed The Hill to the senator’s comment to Politico that Manchin is “genuinely interested in seeing what’s possible” and that Cramer shares the goal of “America leading with innovation”
Read about Manchin's meeting here and read more about what he had to say on reconciliation here from The Hill’s Jordain Carney.