newYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Senate Republicans who backed China’s competition bill are scratching their heads after Senator Joe Manchin announced a tax and spending deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, but they say they do not regret their vote.
Senator Lindsay Graham, R.S.C., said Thursday of the package plan for Manchin and Schumer to move forward through a procedural tool called settlement, saying, “I think it’s a poor idea. It will make inflation worse.” said. “There is an element of malice in it.”
But when asked if he regretted voting for the China bill, Graham said, “It’s not that I regret it, it’s because of it, and we, you know, it’s a problem.” is.
Earlier this month, Republicans threatened to scrap China’s competition bill — which is stuck in commission — so long as Democrats continue to work to pass a party-line social policy bill through reconciliation. Top Republicans, including Senator John Cornyn of the issued.
House Passes China Competition Bill, Sends It To President Biden’s Desk
But just hours after the Senate passed the China bill, also known as CHIPS, on Wednesday, Manchin and Schumer (DNY) removed all those provisions, including more than $400 billion in spending and $739 billion in tax increases. We announced a package that included.
Cornyn shone a light on Manchin in a conversation with reporters on Thursday, saying such a move from Manchin and the Democrats would “poison the well” of cooperation.
“It was a total flip-flop. Everything he said he was against, now he’s for,” Konin said. “What was the deal that brought him to Jesus?”
I regret that people look you in the eye and want to lie to you.But it’s a lesson learned and it won’t happen again
Biden urges Congress to pass ‘far from perfect’ Manchin deal: ‘Put politics aside and get it done’
Cornyn said, “I regret that people look you in the eye and want to lie. But it’s a lesson learned and it won’t happen again.” claimed they were “not tied”, even though they were clearly tied just a few weeks ago.
“The CHIPS bill is necessary to bolster existential threats to the economy and national security, and is a merit in its own right,” Cornyn said.
Asked about how they tied them together, Cornyn said, “There was a statement earlier that they weren’t going to try to raise taxes….they misrepresented it. That doesn’t mean the bill isn’t important.”
Manchin and Schumer Agree on Drastically Reduced Version of Build Back Better
Mr Manchin, meanwhile, told reporters on Thursday that he didn’t think he took the Republican shorthand.
“No. I hope they don’t feel that way. I mean, I understand they do, but I don’t know why,” he said.
The senator also defended the content of the bill, saying that if partisanship was put aside, Republicans should support it.
What’s in Manchin Schumer’s tax hike and climate change bill?
“For example, look at it through a clear lens,” Manchin said.
Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio), whose state is expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the China bill, denounced the Schumer-Manchin deal. But he said, “CHIPS is really important to Ohio.”
Tennessee Republican Senator Bill Haggerty said he was “extremely disappointed with the setback that has occurred.” But he said he wouldn’t be involved in a “hypothesis” about whether he voted in favor of China’s bill if he knew Schumer and Manchin were about to announce an agreement.
Democrats, on the other hand, say their bill will help the economy, keep inflation in check, and put the United States in a better position for the 21st century.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act makes a historic down payment on deficit reduction to combat inflation, domestic energy production We will reduce our carbon emissions by about 40% by 2030,” said Schumer and Manchin in a joint statement.
“This is the action the American people have been waiting for. It is one that not only addresses today’s issues – high health care costs and overall inflation – but it also addresses investments in future energy security.” President Biden said in a statement about the bill. Wednesday.
The Senate is likely to begin processing the Manchin-Schumer deal next week.
Fox News’ Kelly Phares contributed to this report.