A bipartisan group of lawmakers is trying to strip Senator Joe Manchin of a key victory in the bill to raise the United States debt ceiling.
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, reached a deal over the weekend to raise the debt limit while cutting federal spending. The agreement came just days before the U.S. could default on its commitments, which economists warn would lead to a global economic downturn.
The agreement is facing scrutiny from both Democrats and Republicans, with a growing number of conservative lawmakers threatening to withhold their votes over what they view as insufficient cuts to federal funding.
Debate continues over the bill, which contains a victory for Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat. McCarthy’s team included a provision allowing for the expedited construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) to expand it from Virginia to North Carolina. The pipeline currently runs from West Virginia to southeastern Virginia.
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Manchin wrote in a statement on Monday that the expansion would “increase domestic energy production and drive down costs across America and especially in West Virginia.”
The project has been a priority for Manchin, who is up for reelection in what is expected to be one of the most important Senate races in 2024.
However, not all lawmakers are on board with expediting the construction of the MVP. Two amendments have been introduced to strike the provision from the final bill.
One was introduced by Representative Keith Self, a Texas Republican. The other was introduced by Representative Jennifer McClellan, a Virginia Democrat. That amendment was co-sponsored by fellow Virginia Democratic Representatives Bobby Scott, Don Beyer, Abigail Spanberger, Jennifer Wexton and Gerry Connolly.
McClellan explained why she introduced the amendment in a statement to Newsweek on Tuesday.
“Permitting for the Mountain Valley Pipeline has nothing to do with our nation’s spending and should not be included in this bipartisan budget agreement,” she wrote. “This provision is nothing more than an egregious free pass that undercuts our nation’s environmental laws and judicial review processes—processes that any other energy development project would need to pass.”
McClellan raised concerns about the pipeline, which now runs from West Virginia to southeastern Virginia, resulting in “repeated water quality-related violations.” She said more construction would “jeopardize the progress we have made to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.”
“It would also adversely affect some of the most vulnerable communities in our Commonwealth, including tribal and Indigenous communities, elderly populations, and low-income communities,” she added. “The Bipartisan Budget Agreement is not the appropriate vehicle for this pipeline provision.”
Newsweek reached out to Manchin’s office via email for comment.
Manchin previously attempted to insert the $6.6 billion natural gas pipeline into a federal spending bill last fall, but he ultimately withdrew it because of concerns from other senators and environmental groups.