Joe Manchin Just Doomed Biden’s Nominee

(UnitedVoice.com) – President Joe Biden’s FCC nominee, Gigi Sohn, withdrew her name for consideration in early March. The decision came hours after Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced he would not support her. Now, the Democratic lawmaker has seemingly torpedoed another of the POTUS’ picks.

On March 10, the Houston Chronicle published an op-ed written by Manchin about nominees supported by climate activists. The senator, who serves as chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced he’s not moving forward with the nomination of Laura Daniel-Davis. Biden chose her to serve as the assistant secretary of the Department of Interior (DOI).

Exclusive OpEd by @Sen_JoeManchin: "Going forward, each and every proposed nominee I will review will be judged through one prism: Are they political partisans first or Americans first?" https://t.co/HRFnYSevsu

— Houston Chronicle Opinion (@ChronOpinion) March 13, 2023

Daniel-Davis currently serves as the deputy assistant secretary of Land and Minerals Management within the DOI. Manchin spoke out against her recently after an internal memo was mistakenly posted that showed internal discussions within the agency about the Cook Inlet Lease Sale 258 in Alaska. She suggested charging higher rates to oil companies that want to drill off of the Alaskan coast. The West Virginia senator was furious about the suggestion, saying the Biden administration is pandering “to environmental groups at the expense of shoring up American energy security.”

In the op-ed, Manchin expressed similar views. He slammed the administration for touting the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) as climate change legislation. Instead, the Democrat said it’s really supposed to be about “securing America’s energy independence for the coming century.” As for Daniel-Davis, the senator acknowledged he previously supported her but said he won’t do that anymore for anyone who “play[s] partisan politics.”

In the future, Manchin said he won’t support any nominee if they follow this line of thinking. From now on, he said he will ask whether nominees are “political partisans first or Americans first.” He made it clear the Biden Administration must start enforcing the IRA that was enacted, not the one the president wanted.