Manchin permitting plan attacked by progressive Democrat Ro Khanna
Cami Mondeaux
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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is reportedly pushing to attach a measure that would establish a $15 federal minimum wage to the National Defense Authorization Act as lawmakers seek to pass the annual military spending bill before it expires at the end of the year.
Khanna’s proposal comes in response to Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) efforts to include legislation that would reform the federal energy permitting process and help fast-track energy projects. Several Democrats have opposed Manchin’s proposal, arguing it would increase harm to communities dealing with pollution and contribute to climate change.
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“If Big Oil wants to threaten to use the NDAA to weaken environmental protections, then why shouldn’t progressives use it to demand a $15 minimum wage?” Khanna said in a tweet earlier this week. “American workers deserve a raise.”
The energy permitting bill emerged through an agreement between Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier this year in exchange for the West Virginia Democrat’s vote on the Inflation Reduction Act. The IRA needed all 50 Democrats’ support in the evenly split Senate, prompting party leaders to negotiate with Manchin to secure his backing.
Schumer initially agreed to attach the permitting measure to the annual government funding bill, but Manchin later withdrew the proposal after facing resistance.
Manchin has since pushed to attach the permitting bill to another legislative vehicle.
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His plan to pass it through the NDAA, however, also may be a dead end, as Republican members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees have indicated they would not include the proposal in the NDAA. Still, the West Virginia Democrat has signaled he wants to pass the legislation before the end of the year.
It’s not yet clear when lawmakers will vote on the NDAA, although lawmakers are planning to push it through the House sometime next week. From there, it heads to the Senate and then to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.