A bipartisan group of senators met Monday night to discuss a potential climate and energy bill that could garner 60 votes in the Senate and revive the most basic items on President Biden’s “Come Better” agenda, senators said. and Axios assistants.
Why it matters: Aiming for 60 votes in the 50-50 Senate, some members of the group are trying to recreate the momentum that led to the passage of the $ 1.2 trillion bipartite infrastructure bill last year.
- The group’s Democrats hope they can save some of the $ 550 billion in climate spending included in President BBB’s proposal.
- His Republicans are open to exploring ways to open up more federal land for natural gas drilling, reform the licensing process and invest in nuclear power.
Driving the News: Senator Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) and Lisa Markowski (R-Alaska) spearhead the effort.
About 16 senators – eight from each party – were invited to attend Monday night’s meeting, Axios has learned.
- “Joe [Manchin]It’s not surprising that he likes to be proactive and wants to see what’s possible, “Senator Kevin Kramer (RN.D.) told Axios.
- “What is acceptable to them should be something that can bring 10 of us together,” Kramer said. “And that will be quite difficult.”
- “This is an opportunity to talk about the way forward,” said Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.).
- “I just think [President] Kennedy said, “Never negotiate out of fear, but never be afraid to negotiate,” he said. “We’ll have a good conversation and see how far it goes.”
Between the lines: Manchin, who killed Biden’s more ambitious $ 1.75 trillion bill last December, has personally hinted that he prefers to pass any legislation outside the process of guerrilla budget reconciliation.
That means he had to clear a higher bar: 60 votes – at least 10 coming from Republicans.
- Some of his favorite political prescriptions for energy independence, such as the approval of the Mountain Valley pipeline, have always been in danger of being washed away by the so-called Byrd Bath reconciliation bill.
- It allows the Senate parliamentarian to decide whether a piece of legislation can be considered through the process reserved for approving the budget.
- “[Monday’s] the meeting was an effort to assess the bipartisan interest in the road ahead that meets our nation’s needs for climate and energy security, “said Manchin spokesman Sam Runnon.
The big picture: The White House remains open to a reconciliation package, but is careful not to raise public expectations.
- White House officials briefed cabinet leaders Monday on their priorities for the next 100 days.
- While Louise Terrell, the director of legislative affairs, and Shuvanza Goff, the top liaison in the House, mentioned Build Back Better, administration officials were more focused on tackling the toxic exposure of veterans, a China bill, additional funding for COVID-19 and Ukraine, people familiar with the matter told Axios.
- Officials said the goal was to hit “singles, doubles and triples”, Punchbowl News reported.
Go deeper: Getting a reconciliation bill through an evenly divided Senate would always be a challenge for the White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
- Any final cost equation that has been narrowly addressed to Manchin’s concerns may be at odds with the highest revenue values used by Senator Kirsten Cinema (D-Ariz.).
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