Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) isn’t taking any prisoners lately on Capitol Hill. He is angry with the Biden Administration and he’s made it clear that he will keep blocking the president’s nominees.
But there’s more…Manchin is also now threatening to sue the Biden Treasury Department if they don’t implement the revised electric vehicle tax credit like he believes they agreed to do.
According to one source, “Treasury’s guidance, which will articulate what manufacturers must do to comply with rules relating to battery components and critical minerals in the Inflation Reduction Act, has been delayed several months as the administration irons out the requirements. The delay has angered Manchin, chief author of the law, as have indications that the administration may implement the requirements more loosely than he intended.
Manchin said Wednesday he would sue over the guidance if things don’t reflect his intentions with the law.
‘I think they’re going to try to screw me on this, and I’m willing to go to court,’ Manchin said during comments at the SAFE Summit, an industry conference focused on electrification. ‘I’m willing to stop it all.’”
Manchin must have finally realized that Biden is attempting to do an end run around him so that he can get his disgraceful spending bill through.
But bless Manchin’s heart, he put some provisions into the Inflation Reduction Act that would reduce the dependency on China for critical minerals and make the clean vehicle supply chains more focused on being made and assembled in America. Manchin ensured that the critical minerals portion required would come from the United States or a free trade agreement country.
“I don’t have a problem opening up to our reliable trading partners,” Manchin said. “France, the UK, the EU—I’m fine with processing in those areas. I’m just not fine with [those countries] completing the project and all we’re going to do is end up assembling in the US. That is not the bill, that’s not how we wrote it, and it’s not how it should be implemented,” he said.
Biden also must be aware that if Manchin chooses to run against him in 2024, a whole lot of conservative Democrats will be split away from the president.
Checkmate.
