#ExxonPlan Sabotaging Biden's Infrastructure Agenda

On Wednesday, Exxon lobbyists were discovered to be targeting moderate Republican and Democratic Senators to weaken climate and corporate tax priorities in President Biden's infrastructure plan. The lobbyist confirmed that 11 of 20 senators who worked on the bipartisan Manchin-Romney framework are meeting weekly with Exxon.

Exxon lobbyist Keith McCoy (3:50) also insinuated that if moderate Senators delivered for Exxon, Exxon would have their back in their upcoming re-elections. McCoy also admitted that Exxon's public support for a carbon tax is a public relations ploy to stop more aggressive measures against the climate crisis.

This past week, 230 people have died from the heatwave overtaking the Pacific Northwest.

In response, Varshini Prakash, executive director of Sunrise Movement, and Alexandra Rojas, executive director of Justice Democrats, released the following joint statement:

"Exxon's successful efforts to gut the 'bipartisan plan' of major climate investments and corporate tax hikes makes clear that this isn't a bipartisan plan -- it's the Exxon plan.

"Notably, the 'plan' released by moderate Senators who have been meeting with Exxon did not end subsidies for corporate polluters. Instead, the Exxon plan dramatically cuts Biden's own proposals for electric vehicles and then hints that the rest of the plan can be paid for through the extremely unpopular "asset recycling" proposal to privatize much of America's existing infrastructure.

"Exxon would be happy if the Senate sold American infrastructure to Wall Street to pay for new clean energy infrastructure, instead of simply raising their corporate taxes, and thereby decreasing the popularity of Biden's plan.

"During the American Rescue Plan negotiations, the White House argued that true 'bipartisanship' meant policies that were popular with Democratic, Republican, and independent voters -- not corporate executives and politicians in Washington. Biden's American Jobs and Families Plan enjoys bipartisan support for upgrading infrastructure and bold clean energy investments for working families, not Wall Street and Exxon. That plan is already based on Biden's compromise with progressive Democrats after the 2020 primaries. We can't afford to water the policies down any further.

"Without a reconciliation bill free of Exxon's influence, with massive investments of $1 trillion per year to support clean electricity, transportation, buildings, and a Civilian Climate Corps, it's unlikely that the Romney-Manchin bill has the votes to pass. President Biden and the Democratic Party received a historic majority to deliver relief and solutions for the American people, not Exxon.

"It's time for President Biden to pick a side: Exxon or the American majority?"