- The government could face its first shutdown in years if Congress doesn't pass a short-term funding bill this week.
- Sen. Joe Manchin's push for a bill to streamline fossil fuel projects is the major holdup.
As Congress delays passing its short-term funding bill, the chances of a government shutdown grow.
Republicans and Democrats alike have been pushing for the bill, which is referred to as a continuing resolution (CR). The measure allows Congress to fund the government for a short amount of time. Congress has less than a week to pass the bill, or the US will have its first shutdown since 2019.
West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin is part of the holdup. Some details of the CR have circulated, although it hasn't been officially announced yet — but the major roadblock is Manchin's permitting reform proposal.
The Democratic senator wants to hinge passage of the bill on the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2022, which intends to truncate the process for energy infrastructure projects in the US. It also point-blank mandates the construction of West Virginia's Mountain Valley Pipeline, which environmental groups have vigorously opposed.
On the hill, Manchin's bill is facing opposition from Democrats and Republicans alike. Some progressive lawmakers are siding with environmental activists, while Republicans, who have advocated for permitting reform for years, argue that the bill isn't lax enough about environmental review guidelines, The Washington Post's Leigh Ann Caldwell and Theodoric Meyer reported.
Manchin has pushed back against the GOP's criticism. "Some have said the legislation was crafted without Republican input or that it would make it harder for fossil fuels to be permitted," Manchin wrote in an op-ed published by The Wall Street Journal this week. "They are simply wrong. They aren't being honest about what's in the bill and how it came to be."
Preventing a shutdown with short-term funding
Traffic is piling up around Manchin's bill, but the rest of the resolution faces less pushback.
The package is confirmed to include roughly $12 billion in new aid to Ukraine in response to a request from the Biden administration, Reuters reported. That's in addition to the nearly $11 billion the US has sent the country so far.
The CR would keep federal agencies open at their current funding levels through mid-December. It will also include a reauthorization of FDA user fees, and money for resettling Afghan refugees, according to Punchbowl News' John Bresnahan. The bill is set to include additional funding for low-income winter heating assistance, and disaster relief for Jackson, Mississippi, which is currently undergoing a water crisis.
Manchin's bill faces opposition from both parties
Manchin's permitting provisions are rooted in a side-deal he brokered with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer earlier this summer to pass Democrats' massive climate and healthcare law. Republicans slammed Manchin for resuming talks on what many presumed to be a dead agenda. Their ire has made passing permitting reform an even higher sell.
But it's not just Republicans who are mad at Manchin. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, a fellow Democrat, said he would oppose Manchin's proposal because it fast-tracks a long-stalled and controversial West Virginia natural gas pipeline that would cross into Virginia, while Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont is angry about how the deal would aid the development of fossil fuel projects.
Manchin's hope is that the permitting bill will be added to the continuing resolution later this week. But Schumer is unlikely to attach Manchin's bill if it appears he won't have the necessary votes to fund the government, potentially pushing the debate until after the midterm election.
Some progressives and environmentalists have defended aspects of Manchin's bill. They point out that renewable energy investments are also bedeviled by a burdensome federal approval process.
The bill also sets a two-year target for National Environmental Policy Act reviews for major energy projects, and makes other environmental review stipulations for projects going forward, a sticking point with Republicans.
"When looked at objectively, this legislation and the underlying reforms should be a unifying moment for both parties," Manchin said in The Journal.