The federal government is nearing the end of its fiscal year, which means Congress is trying to put together a spending bill designed to last until they can pass a budget (or long-term funding extension). The Senate appears likely to add $12 billion in funding for the Ukraine war effort and about $6 billion more in disaster relief funds, while Republicans have effectively rejected President Biden’s requests for $22 billion for COVID needs -19 and $4.5 billion to fight monkey pox. But “the Hill’s central drama as Congress sprints to get its work done before the midterms” involves Sen. Joe Manchin’s (DW.Va.) yet-to-be enacted legislation to speed up permitting of energy projects, including West Virginia’s Mountain Valley Natural Gas Line , Politico reports. Progressives are “already silencing” the measure, “a key cog” in the deal Manchin and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) struck to pass the Democratic package on climate, health care and this summer’s taxation, Politico reports. And now, even though “building energy projects is a longtime key goal of the GOP,” Republican senators are threatening to kill the legislation, arguing that they “were under no obligation to cough up maybe a dozen or more votes that Democrats need to get Manchin’s Vision Completed.” Democrats say Republicans are getting revenge on Manchin for his deal with Schumer — and Republicans don’t really disagree with that assessment. “Given what Senator Manchin has done on the reconciliation bill, [it’s] caused a lot of bad blood,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told Politico. “There’s not a lot of sympathy on our part to give Sen. Manchin a reward.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) criticized the U.S. “corrupt deal” of the Democrats. Manchin told his GOP colleagues that it would be “horribly political” for them to sink a measure that speeds up pipeline projects. “Something you’ve always wanted, and you get 80 percent of something, and you’re going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good?” Manchin said. “It’s a shame that basically politics trumps the politics that we’ve all wanted for the last 10 or 12 years.” The story continues If Senate Republicans don’t take up Manchin’s legislation, a group of House progressives — presumably not among Manchin’s “we” — might.

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