Staff Reports
The most vulnerable senators are debating whether to support tax hikes to keep their seats.
In an economic crisis, vulnerable Democrats are considering adopting the Biden administration's progressive wish list as an inflationary tax measure.
The so-called Inflation Prevention Act, authored by Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., accomplishes nothing to halt inflation. According to President Joe Biden, the bill disguised as "the most significant legislation in history to tackle the climate crisis" only exacerbates the nation's current financial crisis by placing a bigger tax burden on the same Americans Biden promised not to tax, killing jobs, raising prices across the board, and shrinking the already hurting economy.
Several Democratic senators in Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Nevada, and New Hampshire face close contests in November. These incumbents aren't guaranteed a solid Democrat win or a Democrat-controlled Senate, so they can't afford to lose party support by skipping the next big bill. They can't anger crucial voters by passing legislation that hurts their states' economies.
Simply put, funneling $400 billion to bureaucrats whose priorities are advancing radical left-wing pet projects over improving voters' lives isn't going over well with Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who said Democrats are trying to "deal our economy another body blow on a party line vote." Kevin McCarthy agreed that the "socialist Democrat Party" and "their policies are too extreme, too out-of-touch, and too dangerous for America"
Moving through with detrimental legislation is also unlikely to go down well with voters whose top concerns going into the midterms are inflation, rising gas prices, and rising food prices. With 93% of respondents worrying about inflation and 52% believing the economy will become worse, it's not politically advantageous for vulnerable Democrats in places with high food and gas costs to support financially damaging legislation.
The most vulnerable senators are still debating whether to support a tax hike to keep in good standing with their party and the Biden administration.
Pablo Sierra-Carmona, press secretary for Arizona Democrat Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, told The Federalist that the senator "doesn't have comment as she's reviewing the text" of the legislation "and will need to see what comes out of the parliamentarian process" before deciding to reject or accept the bill. She'll also hear from Manchin, who will urge her to pass the legislation quickly despite being maligned in her home state.
The Federalist also contacted senators Raphael Warnock, Michael Bennet, Maggie Hassan, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Mark Kelly, but none would say how they would vote.
Despite keeping quiet about the new proposal, these Democrats may join Manchin and cement their fate in November. As my colleague Samuel Mangold-Lenett noted, Manchin certainly did the same by pushing the bill publicly.
“Manchin is not up for reelection until 2024,” Mangold-Lenett wrote. “But considering the increasingly Republican landscape of his home state and his willingness to sabotage the livelihoods of the people who put him in office, it grows more and more likely that this will be the last time he is in office.”
Six Democrat incumbents are considering adding financial burdens to already poor Americans. That may cost them in forthcoming races, but vulnerable Democrats may do it to maintain the illusion of a unified socialist party.
The preceding is a summary of an article that originally appeared on The Federalist.
