Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on Tuesday was reportedly “accosted” by protesters wanting to rearrange the United States’ economy to end what many allege is a human-made “climate crisis.”
A NBC reporter tweeted Manchin was “accosted by climate activists upset with him” as he left the capitol building for refusing certain economy altering provisions in the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.
“Why are you blocking the climate bill?” they reportedly shouted at Manchin. “We really need this bill,” they continued.
“Senator, my family is dying from the climate crisis,” another reportedly said.
One protester reportedly asked Manchin if he was a hero for the residents of West Virginia. “I sure am,” he replied.
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 20: A demonstrator wears a photograph of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) as a mask while playing a puppet-master at the periphery of a rally highlighting the efforts of Congressional Democrats to legislate against climate change outside the U.S. Capitol on October 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. Organized by the League of Conservation Voters, the event hosted Democratic members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Manchen then confronted the protesters as they interrupted him. Manchin pleaded with the crowd to allow him to speak without interruption.
“If you want to be quiet for a second, I can talk to you. …The United States does more than any nation on Earth to clean up our environment. We have basically reduced emissions in the last 10 years more than anybody else.” he said.
“[You] can’t eliminate but you can innovate your way to” a better climate, the NBC reporter recalled Manchin’s words.
Manchin also reportedly told the throng the majority of the pollution in the world is generated from Asia, thus it is “not fair” to expect the U.S. to resolve the problem by negatively altering its economy.
Manchin’s interaction with protesters comes as he opposes a measure called the Clean Electricity Performance Program that has originated in the House. The program is designed to change the American economy through government mandates by retrofitting the energy sector, along with “funding for clean energy in disadvantaged communities.”
The far-left Democrats advertise the measure as providing “an incentive and fee structure to ensure that each power company—no matter where they are today— will increase their proportion of clean energy at a steady, four percent per year rate.”
Many disagree with the radical Democrats’ agenda of altering the U.S. economy, suggesting global warming is not manmade but a result of changing weather patterns over time that have only been measured since the 1960s.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø