Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) went scorched on Joe Biden accusing the president of a major betrayal and perverting the law to pursue an ideological agenda.
In an op-ed published by the Wall Street Journal, Manchin called out Biden’s implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act saying unelected bureaucrats and political appointees are abusing the Act and subverting the law to increase spending levels. Manchin says this is a major “betrayal.”
Manchin wrote: “America is fast approaching another needless emergency—the raising of the national debt ceiling. This impending crisis isn’t an accident but a result of the inaction of various actors who refuse to confront fiscal reality, sit down, negotiate and make hard decisions for the sake of our nation’s future.
“While all parties have a responsibility to negotiate in good faith, recent actions make clear to me that the Biden administration is determined to pursue an ideological agenda rather than confront the clear and present danger that debts and deficits pose to our nation.
“Since Covid-19 began, we have added more than $8 trillion to the national debt. Despite explicit direction from Congress to pay down our debt in the Inflation Reduction Act, the administration seems more determined than ever to pervert that law and abuse existing authorities to increase spending.”
Manchin explains that the Inflation Reduction Act he helped Biden pass has been abused by unelected bureaucrats.
He wrote:
“Instead of implementing the law as intended, unelected ideologues, bureaucrats and appointees seem determined to violate and subvert the law to advance a partisan agenda that ignores both energy and fiscal security.
“Specifically, they are ignoring the law’s intent to support and expand fossil energy and are redefining “domestic energy” to increase clean-energy spending to potentially deficit-breaking levels.
“The administration is attempting at every turn to implement the bill it wanted, not the bill Congress actually passed.
“Ignoring the debt and deficit implications of these actions as the time nears to raise the debt ceiling isn’t only wrong, it’s policy and political malpractice.
“The president has the power, today, to direct his administration to follow the law, as well as to sit down with congressional leaders and negotiate meaningful, serious reforms to the federal budget.
“Failing to do so may score political points with left-wing partisans, but generations of Americans will ultimately pay the price,” he wrote.
The president has the power, today, to direct his administration to follow the law, as well as to sit down with congressional leaders and negotiate meaningful, serious reforms to the federal budget. Read more in @WSJ: https://t.co/D1BnWPBZAW
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) March 29, 2023