Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Tuesday that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has personally promised him that Senate Democrats would not pursue a cap-and-trade bill during the next Congress.
On a conference call with West Virginia reporters, Manchin said, “I got his commitment that cap-and-trade will definitely not be on the agenda and won’t be on the agenda during the next Congress,” according to the Associated Press.
Manchin was sworn in Monday, but with an eye toward 2012, he already worked to reassure West Virginia voters that he won’t be in lockstep with the Senate Democratic leadership.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee blasted Manchin for backing Reid in Tuesday’s Senate leadership elections even though no other Democrat ran for the top leadership spot.
In a release, the NRSC said Manchin “voted in lockstep with the Obama Democrats to keep anti-coal U.S. Senator Harry Reid as Senate Majority Leader.”
Full story: Sen. Manchin: Reid promised me that cap-and-trade legislation is dead – The Hill’s Ballot Box