News analysis: Did Manchin just torpedo Biden’s effort to combat climate change? Democrats vow to fight on
WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III’s announcement Sunday that he opposed President Biden’s massive spending package may be much more than a political setback for the White House.
In torpedoing a bill that included $555 billion to combat climate change, the long-time West Virginia senator is, at least for now, single-handedly preventing the U.S. from being able to reach Biden’s emissions reductions targets — and undermining the president’s credibility in persuading other countries to take steps to stave off a catastrophic future of extreme heat, drought, fires, storms and floods.
“The climate crisis isn’t going away, and the devastating damages from heating the planet are being increasingly felt in communities across the country,” said Nat Keohane, the president of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. “Not investing in climate and clean energy infrastructure would be a setback for American credibility and
