A climate emergency is upon us, and the U.S. federal government has been working to find solutions to the issue at hand. Unfortunately, they have made very little progress regarding the issue due to its complexity. 

However, Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has opened up negotiations regarding a new bill. He took President Joe Biden’s climate and economic bill and changed it to something more practical. 

“Confirming that climate and clean energy provisions will be some of the few original pieces of Biden’s original Build Back Better bill he wants to pass through a Democrat-only bill,” stated Ella Nilson and Lauren Fox on CNN. 

One of Manchin’s points is to increase the amount of taxes on wealthier citizens and large companies and use that money towards climate solutions. He wants to address issues that are not “social problems.” 

Although people do agree with many of his ideas, some disagree with his views on issues such as affordable childcare since he believes that it is a “social problem” and doesn’t think it should be included in the bill. 

“Democrats spent over half a year in back-and-forth negotiations on the centerpiece of their domestic agenda. They may be ready to take what Manchin hands them on climate-related tax credits and whatever doesn’t register as a “social issue” with him,” said Joseph Zeballos on Business Insider.

His ideas formed when he expressed his distaste for the Build Back Better program that Biden wanted to initiate. This distaste stems from the $29 trillion debt that he believes should be addressed immediately. Taxing large corporations and wealthy individuals, as previously mentioned, Manchin believes will put an end to the debt.

“Half of that money should be dedicated to fighting inflation and reducing the deficit,” Manchin said on CNN.

Other senators are optimistic about his ideas as it does address important issues. 

“I think that is very good news, and my view of it is we need to find a way to get specific about what that means and do it,” Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota stated on CNN. 

It is controversial in the sense that he doesn’t necessarily want to get rid of fossil fuels. 

This could “hamper the President’s goal to cut US emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030.”

As the climate emergency continues to escalate, the government is working hard to come up with a plan which addresses the issue. Although Biden’s Build Back Better program has faced opposition from Manchin, his potential bill has gained cautious support from many senators. Some believe that it needs tweaking but depending on how the midterms go, the public will know if the Build Back Better program or Manchin’s ideas will be initiated. 

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