Yesterday, Climate Hawks Vote, Friends of the Earth Action, and CREDO Action delivered over 157,000 petitions to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s office, calling on the Senate Democratic Leader to stop financing attacks on our climate.
Recently, Majority Forward, a dark money group closely associated with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and affiliated super PAC Senate Majority PAC, purchased $4.5 million in advertising praising Sen. Joe Manchin (D –W.V.) for his defense of the coal industry in alliance with Donald Trump, according to E&E News.
The ad, which aired in West Virginia, touts Manchin’s attacks on Obama-era regulations that protected public health and the environment. “When Washington proposed anti-coal regulations, Joe Manchin said ‘no,’” the ad boasts. The ad shows footage of Manchin with Donald Trump as he signed legislation killing the Stream Protection Rule in February, with text misleadingly implying the photo was taken at a signing for legislation supporting coal-miner health. That legislation was including in the omnibus spending bill passed in May.
“Joe Manchin is a coal DINO-saur (Democrat In Name Only), and Sen. Schumer needs to stop praising him for actions directly contrary to the Democratic Party’s platform,” said R.L. Miller with Climate Hawks Vote.
“This ad by Chuck Schumer’s people is dangerously out of step with the American people,” said Friends of the Earth Action Senior Political Strategist Ben Schreiber. “We need leaders who will stand up for public health and environmental values. Ads like this undermine the resistance to Trump.”
“Sen. Schumer and his allies should be engaging in total resistance against Trump, not providing cover for Sen. Manchin’s attacks on progressive values.” said CREDO Deputy Political Director Josh Nelson. “With Republicans in lockstep opposition to protecting people and the planet from dirty energy companies and all other progressive priorities, the last thing we need is for groups aligned with Democratic leaders to be defending the conservative positions of Democrats like Joe Manchin.”
The Climate Hawks Vote petition can be seen here.
