NEW ONESYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Former President Donald Trump pledged Friday to campaign in West Virginia against Senator Joe Manchin over the Democrat’s $739 billion tax hike and climate change deal.
Trump said Manchin and Democratic Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who are both reelected in 2024, would pay a heavy political price to agree to the deal after previously withholding their support.
SCHUMER AND MANCHIN’S $700B SPENDING STATEMENT UNDERCUT EFFORTS TO PURSUE BLUE COLLAR VOICES
“What happened to Manchin and Sinema, what the hell happened, where did this new philosophy come from,” Trump said during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas. “I think if this deal goes through they will both lose their next election. I really believe that West Virginia and Arizona will not stand for what they did to them.”
The former president’s comments came as the Senate debated the massive spending measure. Written by Democrats, the legislation will increase taxes by $739 billion over the next decade.
Most of the money, nearly $440 billion, will go to climate change subsidies in hopes of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2030.
DONALD TRUMP HINTS ON 2024 WHITE HOUSE COMEBACK BID: ‘THE TIME COMES’
Given the GOP’s widespread opposition, Manchin and Sinema’s support for the bill is critical as Democrats plan to push it through the 50-50 Senate using a party-line process known as budget reconciliation.
“Maybe this speech can hold them back because if Manchin hears me say he’s going to lose West Virginia,” Trump said. “I’m going downstairs [there] and campaign against him as hard as anyone can.”
Democrats have thrown Manchin-Schumer’s bill as an ointment for inflation. They claim it will cut electricity bills through new climate change subsidies and put a limit on how much older Americans pay out of pocket for some life-saving service. prescribed medicines.
“It’s a bill for America,” Manchin said after agreeing to the deal. “We have the opportunity to reduce drug costs for seniors, [Obamacare] health insurance premiums, increase our energy security and invest in energy technologies – all while reducing our national debt.”
Trump, who won West Virginia by nearly 40 percentage points in 2020, claimed otherwise, saying the bill’s tax provisions were a “scam.” The former president also questioned Manchin’s credibility, claiming the West Virginia Democrat had previously flipped out on impeachment.
sen. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., calls a reporter at a press conference about the Democrats’ appeasement bill.
(Tyler Olson/Fox News)
“I got along fantastically well with him, he called me all the time,” Trump said. “When the impeachment hoax began” [Manchin] said, ‘I would never vote against you, you’re a great president.'”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“When we were counting the numbers, he voted against me,” Trump said.