Shane McCauley
// The senator’s actions endanger democracy and reveal a broken system //
Senator Joe Manchin has recently faced backlash from Democrats for refusing to support President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act, effectively ending hope for its ultimate passage. The plan, which passed in the House of Representatives on November 19, 2021, included social spending like expanded Medicare, paid leave for families, and provisions to combat the climate crisis. By rejecting the bill, Manchin is denying this vital aid to the climate and millions of Americans crushed under the weight of the pandemic. Yet, he simultaneously continues to rake in corporation donations, the real reason why he refuses to consider the bill. Manchin’s actions embody the fractures in the American political system and may ultimately contribute to the downfall of U.S. democracy if Republicans are able to capitalize upon the Democrats’ inability to pass essential legislation.
The current landscape in America constitutes a dire need for governmental aid, and the Build Back Better Act would work to tackle these problems. Just in September of 2020, 100,000 small businesses had permanently gone out of business. The act would lower taxes for these businesses while raising them for those earning over ten million dollars per year. In addition, according to a survey conducted before the pandemic, over half of Americans admitted to skipping necessary medications due to their high costs; Build Back Better would give the Secretary of Health the ability to combat high medication costs by negotiating with drug manufacturers directly. The plan also includes an expansion of the Child Tax Credit, which reduces federal taxes for parents based on the number of children they have. This expansion would continue the raised pandemic benefits included in the American Rescue Plan and allow low income families to enjoy the benefits of the plan, which is incredibly important given that the child poverty rate has risen to 14%. Considering that many Americans were in financial trouble even before the pandemic, the Build Back Better Act is more important than ever.
The act would also combat the climate crisis. It includes $555 billion in spending for sustainable energy sources like wind and solar power, which is vital given that temperatures are currently predicted to rise five degrees Celsius by the end of the century. Scientists have said that “failure is not an option” when it comes to the climate crisis. Leah Stokes, an environmental expert from the University of California, agreed, stating that, without the bill, “we really don’t have a plan to tackle the climate crisis in the U.S.” Clearly, the Build Back Better Act is an essential step to combat these problems after the U.S. has stalled for so long; as it stands, Joe Manchin has ended hope for this act’s passage.
It should be noted that the passage of this bill is essential to prevent the decay of American democracy by prohibiting Republicans from taking power. A study from a professor at the University of Washington has shown that there is a direct link between Republican political control and an unhealthy decline of America’s democracy. It’s not difficult to see why, with the events of the January 6, 2021 insurrection and a myriad of Republicans still refusing to accept that Joe Biden won the election. However, with fourteen Republican-controlled state legislatures having passed laws making it more difficult to vote, it is clear that the party will continue its attempts to hinder the democratic process. Given its popularity, the Build Back Better Act would hand Democrats an important political advantage going into the midterm elections. This would allow the party to retain power in Congress and prevent another situation similar to what happened in January 2021. Therefore, while passing the Build Back Better Act is already imperative from a policy standpoint, it is also important to prevent further disintegration of the country’s democracy.
It is clear that Joe Manchin is heeding to this antidemocratic threat, but rather to the voices of his corporate donors. Leading up to his rejection of the plan in December 2021, the senator’s super PAC enjoyed a sudden increase of donations. During his time in the Senate, he has received more than $4.5 million from various coal companies, Enersystems Inc. and Farmington Resources Inc., which are run by his own son. Clearly, Joe Manchin cares more about representing the corporate coal industry than miners in his home state, who have implored him to support the bill. Considering that West Virginia is one state that would benefit greatly from the bill, and its policies have received support in surveys from the state’s citizens, Manchin could have crafted an argument to his constituents if he chose to support the bill. However, the senator still refuses to support the bill primarily due to his corporate ties.
This is no isolated incident, but rather something that is representative of a larger problem in American politics in regards to the outsized power that corporations hold on politics. In 2015, corporations spent $2.6 billion yearly on lobbying, which outweighs the budget afforded to either the House or the Senate. The ratio of corporate lobbying, when companies wield economic benefits to influence politics, to grassroots lobbying is 34:1. Right now, twelve of the country’s largest companies purporting support for the climate are actually contributing to efforts to prevent the Build Back Better Act’s passage. As a result, American politics are dominated by corporations that pretend to support change while actually contributing to efforts working against change. When those same companies donate to American politicians, the result is a situation like Manchin’s. His refusal to support the Build Back Better Act is a reminder that America’s policies around corporate lobbying must change in order to achieve any sort of substantive action.
In the meantime, Manchin must allow Democrats to pass the Build Back Better Act in order to provide aid both for U.S. citizens and the climate. Otherwise, he is allowing Republicans to seize on a political weakness, which will allow them to obtain power and pass policies that will ultimately hurt democracy. The problem does not end with Manchin. There needs to be a significant change in American politics to end corporations’ disproportionate influence on policy. Specifically, legislation must be passed to prevent corporate lobbying, screen for political conflicts of interest, and ban individual stock ownership by Congress members. Unless actions like these are taken, corporations will continue to destroy the American political system, whether the Build Back Better Act is passed, or not.
