Manchin announces support for the "Inflation Reduction Act," aka the reconciliation bill formerly known as Build Back Better. "Build Back Better is dead, and instead we have the opportunity to make our country stronger by bringing Americans together." Statement outlining details: pic.twitter.com/iQksxGmngl
The bill will "cut the inflation taxes Americans are paying, lower the cost of health insurance and prescription drugs, and ensure our country invests in the energy security and climate change solutions we need to remain a global superpower through innovation," Manchin says.
Also : it "would dedicate hundreds of billions of dollars to deficit reduction by adopting a tax policy that protects small businesses and working-class Americans while ensuring that large corporations and the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share in taxes."
However, it's a blow for Democrats hoping to have child care, paid leave, or a child tax credit extension included in the reconciliation bill. This will be far smaller than Build Back Better, particularly on the social spending front.
Remember back in February when someone suggested restarting reconciliation talks around a three-legged stool of energy, health care, and deficit reduction? pic.twitter.com/RggDOJAFq8
hah ran across "Z Kelly" and her pal "Buffalo Meg", they are energized and certainly appear ready, willing and able to do any "Sister Souljah-ing" whenever the need might arise
You had nothing to do with this. Now go back to work and make sure that useless Cori Bush and her squadmates vote yes on the CHIPS act. Stop tanking the Dems with your childish stunts.
Medicare negotiating drug prices has been a lucy/football in DC for a long time, pharma usually finds some way to get lawmakers to back off it. Will be a big win for Biden if he got it through.
Also makes Manchin look savvy in that he could have just fooled McConnell (and progressives) into think he would sink the deal so that they could get CHIPS through first.
Summers, by being vocal early with his concerns about inflation, had the credibility to help sell Manchin on the inflation-fighting power of the IRA deal.
This isn’t done yet. But it’s pretty solid evidence that everyone who confidently proclaimed Coal Shill Manchin was just pretending to negotiate (and Biden was a fool for indulging him) was wrong.
I’m sure it would’ve been satisfying for Biden to trash Manchin’s fickle and incoherent public spasms, and it probably would have boosted his approval ratings with his pissed-off base. But he thought doing whatever he could to pass a climate bill was more important.
There really does seem to be a lot of good climate stuff in this bill so I'm definitely not going to obsess about the $500M for "biofuel infrastructure" on page 541. OK maybe I'm going to obsess about it a little.
Schumer also must have laughed his ass off when those Dem staffers protested in the front of his office while his own staffers were finishing the climate bill in the back.
Overall, the climate stuff is, as Biden would say, a BFD: tax credits for wind, solar, heat pumps, storage, efficiency, clean energy manufacturing and, yes, EVs; decarbonization grants to utilities; $27B clean-tech accelerator; trees on farms and pastures; methane fees; wow.
Plus two of my personal faves: $3B for electrifying the postal fleet and a big boost for DOE's clean energy loan program. I see a few duds and I have many questions but this is how responsible politicians respond to a crisis.
We now have a game-changing clean energy and climate package ready to go in the Senate. What's in the "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022?" $369 billion in transformative investments.
These investments will make America a global leader in clean energy manufacturing, on everything from EVs, to batteries, to solar, and heat pumps! There's more than $60 billion here to create the 21st century American clean energy technologies we need, including through the DPA. pic.twitter.com/tMxKr3AQvN
These investments will clean up our electricity system, with extensions of the ITC/PTC for wind/solar, new tax credits for batteries, and $30 billion more in grid investments.
This will help get us on track for Biden's goal of 100% clean power by 2035!https://t.co/PRriVH2cC1
This bill also contains key environmental justice investments -- and at $60 billion it will be the largest EJ investment in American history. There's funding to clean up ports, set up community grants, and clean up dirty vehicles that hit communities of color the hardest.
And there's more!
- $27 billion for the Clean Energy Accelerator!
- A methane fee!
- $20 billion for climate smart agriculture!
- $5 billion for forests!
It would be the largest climate investment in America history—4 times bigger than the recovery act. It would bring clean energy jobs to America and lower energy bills for American families.
It would get us 80% of the way to President Biden's climate goal. This is a game changer.
No deal is perfect and we need many more actions to solve the climate crisis. Yet, this bill is a long overdue and necessary step to ensure the US takes decisive action on the climate crisis that helps our economy and provides leadership for the world by example. 2/3
It's time to join together in support of this bold #ClimateAction – and then accelerate our efforts to continue our work to move away from the dirty energy economy of the past and toward a sustainable future. 3/3
for clarity, a couple more explanations why Congressional Republicans are having a hissy fit -
McConnell said Republicans wouldn’t let the CHIPS bill pass if Democrats try to pass a lower drug price/climate bill.
Rs ultimately let CHIPS pass—minutes later, Dems announced a deal with Manchin on lower drug prices/climate.
Democrats may have just out-McConnelled McConnell.
— No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen (@NoLieWithBTC) July 27, 2022
Mitch McConnell said he wouldn't let the CHIPS legislation pass if Democrats pursued a reconciliation bill. Just hours after CHIPS passed, Schumer and Manchin announced their reconciliation deal.
also too, then they changed their attitude towards the Veteran's bill -
And so the GOP punishes veterans in retaliation. This is why they are so dangerous. They don’t care who they hurt. Hope this gets lots of attention. https://t.co/q6sqNFVe4t
This has been a big week for the Biden Administration and Democrats in Congress. First, Congress is on track to pass a bipartisan bill that will lower the cost of everything from cars to consumer goods, and make us less dependent on foreign semiconductors.
Then President Biden and Democrats in Congress announced a deal that will fight inflation by reducing the cost of prescription drugs, cutting the deficit, and making the biggest investments in history to boost clean energy and tackle the climate crisis.
I’m grateful to President Biden and those in Congress – Democrat or Republican – who are working to deliver for the American people. Progress doesn’t always happen all at once, but it does happen – and this is what it looks like.
and a sampling of the positive replies, because people like this rarely get any attention!
This is promising. Amazing what can be accomplished for the American people when parties come together.
Thank you for your uplifting message
— MaryJustBreatheYall (@Marylee_NCGirl) July 28, 2022
Thank you for this thread,Sir. Both of you have been a blessing for this country and we are all better off because of it. The biggest fights are ahead of us yet,but these moderate wins sure give me the energy to keep up the fight with my fellow Dems to save democracy .
Let us all hope that everyday Americans will not forget the couple or more than thousands of dollars that President Biden did to help us through the pandemic. They may not be a big deal for those wealthy Americans, but it is for us, especially the retirees. Thanks Pres Joe Biden.
— This Is America-Right Matters #Resist (@4uzar) July 28, 2022
Finally some good news and relief for middle class and poor Americans.
Democrats are accusing Republicans of heartlessness in voting against the PACT Act, but Democrats are the ones exploiting vets by loading the bill with pork. | Opinion by @JackWolfsohnhttps://t.co/2dDMg1OCUd
Will the carried-interest deduction—a notorious loophole in the U.S. tax code that allows some of the wealthiest people in the country to pay an artificially low tax rate on much of their income—meet its end? https://t.co/ijUOKGf7G2
Fantastic news — my bill, the Health Care Affordability Act, has been included in the Inflation Reduction Act!
If passed, the Inflation Reduction Act will extend the tax credits from my bill that have helped lower out-of-pocket premium costs by an average of $2,400 per family.
Sources: Arizona Sen. Sinema has privately expressed concerns about the impact the proposed 15% corporate minimum tax will have on manufacturers @mkraju reports https://t.co/ACdxbvRbsC
Nugget of news: Democrats are discussing ways to modify their carried-interest provision to get Sinema's support--and appease Manchin's desire to include something on the issue, per sources.
There are a few different ways to pare back the proposal without nixing it entirely.
The Arizona Democrat had been her party’s last remaining holdout on the package, now slated to move forward on Saturday and pass the Senate within days.
WASHINGTON — Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Democrat of Arizona, announced on Thursday evening that she would support moving forward with her party’s climate, tax and health care package, clearing the way for a major piece of President Biden’s domestic agenda to move through the Senate in the coming days.
To win Ms. Sinema’s support, Democratic leaders agreed to drop a $14 billion tax increase on some wealthy hedge fund managers and private equity executives that she had opposed, change the structure of a 15 percent minimum tax on corporations, and include drought money to benefit Arizona.
Ms. Sinema said she was ready to move forward with the package, provided that the Senate’s top rules official signed off on it [....]
Few bills this century have come close to such sweeping potential for good job creation.
It's true this bill has good, bad, & ugly bits. Also true: It's an unparalleled opportunity for hard-hit workers and communities to reap the economic gains of climate action. pic.twitter.com/lO9U1Cx6gM
Major major geek thread on bill's climate and energy impacts for those into that sort of thing
It's out! REPEAT Project's analysis of the climate & energy impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act nearing a vote in the Senate at https://t.co/6zdwAaDcml.
The Act would:
1. Cut annual emissions in 2030 by an additional ~1 billion tons below current policy (incl. Infrastr Law) pic.twitter.com/ATzrqibJfJ
Debate on reconciliation bill begins with @SenSanders calling it the “so-called Inflation Reduction Act,” because “according to the CBO and other economic organizations who have studied this bill, it will in fact have a minimal impact on inflation.”
I think Bernie doesn't actually want this to pass but also can't vote no so he's doing this thing of damning it with faintest praise on the floor and hamstringing it with amendments that makes his own caucus members look bad
The Inflation Reduction Act is the product of years of bipartisan conversations about the most impactful ways to produce more energy domestically, bring down energy and healthcare costs and pay down our debt. The IRA achieves this without raising taxes.
Despite this, my R friends have made clear they’re completely unwilling to support this bill under any condition. None of their amendments would change that. For this reason, I’ll vote to protect the integrity of the IRA regardless of the substance of their fake amendments.
This is huge: The Senate has officially passed the Inflation Reduction Act. Democrats fought tooth and nail to pass this legislation to lower drug prices and secure a clean energy future, and we delivered.
For all the Democrats' criticism of the TCJA, they've made no serious effort to repeal its major provisions. Their main legislative attempt was to tilt it further to the rich by restoring the full SALT policy. Many of the provisions were more bipartisan than they would admit. https://t.co/fgDw5kxp9h
When I worked in the Senate, I sat in on a lot of bipartisan tax reform meetings listening to Democrats concede that lower corp tax rates, expensing, and territorial taxation were common sense, even if they cannot push them publicly without angering their activists.
You are saying there were 49 votes for restoring the 35% corporate tax rate? That wasn't even proposed, much less rallied around. And the other items you listed are not part of the TCJA.
I believe Manchin wanted 25%, and so there were 49 votes for it. Biden wanted 28%; I wonder how many Dem votes there were for 28%. But yeah seems like no real appetite to return corporate rate back to 35%.
$739B was an earlier score for the tax hikes+IRS enforcement+prescription drug price cuts. That is not “spending.” ~$300B went to deficit reduction, which is also not “spending.” The rest went to assorted climate and energy spending/tax cuts/health care subsidies.
Trump/Ryan/McConnell tax law remains almost entirely intact even if the Senate bill becomes law, mostly because of Kyrsten Sinema.
21% corp rate, 37% top rate, etc.
Final bill likely will increase federal revenue ~1% over a decade.
Bloomberg: Progressive Democrats swallowed provisions for fossil fuels and other items that they stood firmly against earlier this year, settling for what they consider half-measures to get something out the door before the fall campaigns begin in earnest in September.
Bloomberg: Their House counterparts, who had been pushing hard for expansive action on climate change and more spending on social programs such as child care, have indicated they were ready to back the legislation when the chamber meets Friday for a vote on final passage.
Bloomberg: “We had many bumps in the road, many times when it looked like it wouldn’t happen, but we didn’t give up. We got it done,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a news conference after the vote. “I think it is going to help us in November tremendously.”
If you want another run at Child Tax Credit expansion your need to vote harder and expand the majority to include a couple more members who don’t share Sinema’s aversion to taxes or Manchin’s hangup about working requirements.
To anyone about to write this up primarily as a horserace story — some already have — stop. Yes, the midterms matter, hugely; but first and foremost this was a victory for urgently needed policy 1/
Dems came into power with a three-part agenda: climate, infrastructure, and social programs. They just delivered on the first, which was the most crucial — and no, it wasn't far less than they sought. It accomplished most of the original objective 2/ https://t.co/erxQq4lOyU
What got lost were the extensive social programs. That's a tragedy; we could have virtually eliminated child poverty, among other things. Even there, this bill expanded the enhanced subsidies that have helped bring uninsurance to a record low 4/
I'd go even farther. A key reason for success of #InflationReductionAct are provisions on oil & gas lease sales & federal permitting reform.
Demand side policies that incentivize clean energy to reduce FF demand will always be more popular than supply side energy restrictions. https://t.co/ZLh0yqC2X6
This bill died so many times, was so complex on policy and politics, and had hundreds of people performing almost daily miracles to keep it alive. This bill was not destined to happen. It was almost impossible. But it passed because so many people knew the planet was at a stake.
Whether intended or not, I know from a life of experience working for rich and being involved in tax-related laws and compliance, this is what is going to happen from what they have done, whether intended or not, this is what they ended up with.
They haven't changed one iota what will happen to those who have unearned income of all kinds do to evade paying.
This will make people who have earned income (over $400K if Biden's instructions continue) very bitter that they are carrying all of society and they will donate (it's tax deductible after all) to politicians and PACS who work against that while at the same time look into evasion techniques that the uber rich use like corporations and investments (and that will further fuel the capitalist gambling by the underclass on like crypto and total disregard for the stoopid people who work for a living and are paying all the taxes)
Comments
by artappraiser on Wed, 07/27/2022 - 5:32pm
by artappraiser on Wed, 07/27/2022 - 5:39pm
by PeraclesPlease on Wed, 07/27/2022 - 6:32pm
further tooting own horn -
by artappraiser on Wed, 07/27/2022 - 10:00pm
hah ran across "Z Kelly" and her pal "Buffalo Meg", they are energized and certainly appear ready, willing and able to do any "Sister Souljah-ing" whenever the need might arise
by artappraiser on Thu, 07/28/2022 - 1:43am
by artappraiser on Wed, 07/27/2022 - 7:02pm
by artappraiser on Wed, 07/27/2022 - 9:22pm
by artappraiser on Wed, 07/27/2022 - 9:57pm
Biden:
by artappraiser on Wed, 07/27/2022 - 11:38pm
by artappraiser on Thu, 07/28/2022 - 12:42am
by artappraiser on Thu, 07/28/2022 - 12:55am
by artappraiser on Thu, 07/28/2022 - 1:03am
she's not exaggerating - Al Gore likey too, see his tweets at the end of the comment below
by artappraiser on Thu, 07/28/2022 - 1:20am
by artappraiser on Thu, 07/28/2022 - 1:17am
by artappraiser on Thu, 07/28/2022 - 5:45pm
for clarity, a couple more explanations why Congressional Republicans are having a hissy fit -
by artappraiser on Thu, 07/28/2022 - 7:42pm
also too, then they changed their attitude towards the Veteran's bill -
which was a really stoopid hissy fit as it's already been used by people running against them
by artappraiser on Thu, 07/28/2022 - 7:46pm
Barack Obama:
and a sampling of the positive replies, because people like this rarely get any attention!
by artappraiser on Fri, 07/29/2022 - 3:11am
by artappraiser on Mon, 08/01/2022 - 5:50am
by artappraiser on Mon, 08/01/2022 - 4:28pm
by artappraiser on Mon, 08/01/2022 - 5:55pm
Manchin & Sinema in a photo of the Senate floor today, tweeted by Alex Bolton of The Hill:
by artappraiser on Tue, 08/02/2022 - 11:15pm
by artappraiser on Wed, 08/03/2022 - 1:25am
by artappraiser on Wed, 08/03/2022 - 1:26am
by artappraiser on Wed, 08/03/2022 - 5:50pm
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/04/2022 - 7:50pm
Sen. Manchin slams reports that the climate, healthcare, and tax bill would increase taxes
Senate sets up first vote Saturday on Schumer-Manchin deal
BY ALEXANDER BOLTON - 08/04/22 3:34 PM ET
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/04/2022 - 5:04pm
by artappraiser on Thu, 08/04/2022 - 6:20pm
Sinema Agrees to Climate and Tax Deal, Clearing the Way for Votes
The Arizona Democrat had been her party’s last remaining holdout on the package, now slated to move forward on Saturday and pass the Senate within days.
By Emily Cochrane @ NYTimes.com, Aug. 4, 2022
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/05/2022 - 12:23am
that's just in the Senate, tho, so don't get too excited
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/05/2022 - 12:51am
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/05/2022 - 12:45am
Major major geek thread on bill's climate and energy impacts for those into that sort of thing
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/05/2022 - 12:57am
Bernie says the name of the bill is a lie:
Edit to add:
by artappraiser on Sat, 08/06/2022 - 11:48pm
Manchin at 8:35 pm ET Sat. evening:
by artappraiser on Sat, 08/06/2022 - 11:53pm
by artappraiser on Sun, 08/07/2022 - 3:56pm
by artappraiser on Mon, 08/08/2022 - 4:36am
by artappraiser on Mon, 08/08/2022 - 4:59am
Also, here he is on taxes:
by artappraiser on Mon, 08/08/2022 - 5:04am
Filed under "Politics". By Erik Wasson, Steven T. Dennis, and Laura Davis, Updated on August 7, 2022 at 8:16 PM EDT
by artappraiser on Mon, 08/08/2022 - 5:12am
by artappraiser on Mon, 08/08/2022 - 5:15am
Krugman:
And two energy geeks:
by artappraiser on Mon, 08/08/2022 - 5:21am
Senator Schatz:
by artappraiser on Mon, 08/08/2022 - 7:39pm
dupe deleted, see below
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/12/2022 - 3:08pm
VERY TRUE: Supersizing the IRS Will Hurt the Working Rich, Not Fat-Cat Tax Evaders
Whether intended or not, I know from a life of experience working for rich and being involved in tax-related laws and compliance, this is what is going to happen from what they have done, whether intended or not, this is what they ended up with.
They haven't changed one iota what will happen to those who have unearned income of all kinds do to evade paying.
This will make people who have earned income (over $400K if Biden's instructions continue) very bitter that they are carrying all of society and they will donate (it's tax deductible after all) to politicians and PACS who work against that while at the same time look into evasion techniques that the uber rich use like corporations and investments (and that will further fuel the capitalist gambling by the underclass on like crypto and total disregard for the stoopid people who work for a living and are paying all the taxes)
by artappraiser on Fri, 08/12/2022 - 3:07pm