Manchin thanks GOP for permitting reform in debt deal

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) thanked Republicans on Sunday for helping secure permitting reform in the debt ceiling bill, a provision he has long fought to pass despite some pushback from factions of both parties. 

“Oh, I say thank you. Absolutely. A big thank you for [Speaker] Kevin McCarthy [R-Calif.] and his leadership team. Our Republican colleagues in the Senate, all of us, have spearheaded this thing from day one,” Manchin said on “Fox News Sunday” with Shannon Bream.

The West Virginia senator had been pushing for permitting reform and faced pushback to some deals in the past from Republicans, who said certain bills did not go far enough, and from some progressive Democrats, who expressed concern over the potential harm it could cause to the environment. 

“It became a political football last year,” Manchin said on Sunday. “We took it out of that arena and now good policy has come through.”

The provisions were included as part of a deal to suspend the debt ceiling for two years in exchange for some additional spending caps and minor adjustments to work requirements. The bill was passed by both chambers this week and was signed into law by President Biden Saturday, just two days before the Treasury’s deadline of June 5.