CBS anchor fumes at Manchin for not supporting Biden climate spending
"CBS Mornings" anchor Tony Dokoupil struggled to hide his disgust at Sen. Joe Manchin for his opposition to a sweeping Democratic climate and tax package.
"CBS Mornings" didn’t seem particularly thrilled with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on Friday because of a report the West Virginia moderate won’t support climate and tax changes in a spending deal.
"All right, Joe Manchin a multi-millionaire with a Maserati and a family coal business says no on a climate deal," anchor Tony Dokoupil snarked.
Manchin and his staffer had reportedly told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D, N.Y., Thursday that he is only willing to support a reconciliation bill in August that includes a provision to lower prescription drug prices and a two-year extension of subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, according to a Democrat briefed on the conversations. However, he pushed back later Friday on reports that he had ruled out including tax hikes and climate change subsidies within the Democrats' party-line spending bill, saying he would wait until July inflation numbers are out next month to decide.
At the time of CBS' report, it seemed unequivocal that he wouldn't support a bill before the midterms with any provisions on energy and climate or closing tax loopholes exploited by the wealthy and biggest corporations, despite his support for those specific things during months of negotiations. Democrats had hoped to pass a sweeping package to tout during the midterms.
MANCHIN SAYS HE WON'T SUPPORT CLIMATE, TAX PROVISIONS IN SWEEPING DEMOCRATIC BILL
"CBS Mornings" didn’t appear neutral when covering the story, however, even working in a dig at the car Manchin drives.
CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil informed viewers of the type of car Sen. Joe Manchin drives. ((AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite))
"There is a familiar domestic headache for the president again, Senator Joe Manchin, a fellow Democrat but frequent nemesis announcing overnight that he can no longer support what was supposed to be an ambitious piece of legislation, passed only by Democrats, that would have finally passed the president’s ambitious climate change agenda. You may remember that last year he single-handedly killed even more ambitious legislation that was going to have all sorts of other domestic priorities in it, but he scuttled it out of concern about the cost," CBS senior White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe said. "This time he’s saying he has concerns given the bigger-than-expected inflation report."
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., was explicit that he won't support a bill before the midterms with any provisions on energy and climate or closing tax loopholes exploited by the wealthy and biggest corporations, despite his support for those specific things during months of negotiations. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
O’Keefe then said Democrats have been working with Manchin on a smaller bill that would include the climate change provisions.
"And it would have been paid for by taxing the wealthy with higher taxes… important to remember, Manchin represents a fossil-fuel producing state, has a lot of his own fortune in that industry, and receives a lot of campaign donations from it. So many Democrats upset with this development overnight knowing it may scuttle the president and the party’s agenda ahead of November's elections," O’Keefe said before tossing it back to Dokoupil in the studio for his jab.
CBS’ morning program didn’t seem pleased with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on Friday. (Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Fox News’ Jason Donner, Haris Alic and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.