As Amazing as it Seems, One Key Person Will Actually Read the Manchin Bill Before It Passes

Sinema May Want to Change the Schumer-Manchin Deal

Please note, Sinema May Want to Change the Schumer-Manchin Deal

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) had a message for her Democratic colleagues before she flew home to Arizona for the weekend: She’s preserving her options.

Sinema has leverage and she knows it. Any potential modification to the Democrat’s climate and deficit reduction package — like knocking out the $14 billion provision on carried interest — could cause the fragile deal to collapse.

Sinema has given no assurances to colleagues that she’ll vote along party lines in the so-called “vote-a-rama” for the $740 billion bill next week, according to people familiar with the matter.

Sinema Will Look Inside 

Axios reports Sinema is taking a printout of the 725-Page Bill back to Arizona on Friday for some dense in-flight reading.

Key Points 

• Sinema has given no assurances to colleagues that she’ll vote along party lines in the so-called “vote-a-rama” for the $740 billion bill next week, according to people familiar with the matter.
• The vote-a-rama process allows lawmakers to offer an unlimited number of amendments, as long as they are ruled germane by the Senate parliamentarian. Senators — and reporters — expect a late night.
• Republicans, steaming mad that Democrats have a chance to send a $280 billion China competition package and a massive climate and health care bill to President Biden, will use the vote-a-rama to force vulnerable Democrats to take politically difficult votes.
• They’ll also attempt to kill the reconciliation package with poison pills — amendments that make it impossible for Schumer to find 50 votes for final passage.

Procedural Gambling 

Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer kept Sinema in the dark, working out a secret deal with Senator Joe Manchin in isolation. That was a purposeful gamble and perhaps a bad one. 

Senator Manchin also took a gamble, perhaps a bad one, but perhaps purposely lawed. Manchin wanted and received assurances from Schumer for permit reform. But Progressives do not want permit reform or more drilling of any kind. 

Reconciliation bills must contain budget items only. So what did Manchin really get in return?

Manchin’s gamble (perhaps a planned setup), is that he either gets what he wants or the parliamentarian kills it all.

Four Ways Bill Could Die

• The Senate parliamentarian can rule against permit reform. That would likely kill everything right there. 
• The Republican poison pill kill method could work, but I suspect there are ways for that to backfire as well.
• Sinema can easily kill this bill herself, but I suspect she would rather have Manchin on board or hopes Manchin kills it himself after an adverse parliamentarian ruling.
• Poison pills aside, many specifics are still missing. How is this Medicare cost reduction idea going to work? Bickering over missing details could kill this.

Saga Continues

If the bill dies, the most likely way is via the Senate parliamentarian. Joe Manchin can then say he tried, and Sinema might escape without having to take an actual position. 

The saga continues. 

I will not be surprised by any outcome including an even bigger boondoggle that is currently on the table.

Radical Ideas

“I always advocate passing bills then checking to see what’s in them. It’s the sure-fire way to let lobbyists run the country. And who wouldn’t want that?“

Translation Requested

Meanwhile, can someone please translate the above clip into English? 

This post originated at MishTalk.Com.

Thanks for Tuning In!

Please Subscribe to MishTalk Email Alerts.

Subscribers get an email alert of each post as they happen. Read the ones you like and you can unsubscribe at any time.

If you have subscribed and do not get email alerts, please check your spam folder.

Mish