Sen. Joe Manchin opposed President Joe Biden’s $1.75 trillion Build Back Better plan and Manchin’s political action committee saw a surge in corporate contributions.
Manchin’s leadership PAC, Country Roads, has received 17 contributions from corporations in October and 19 in November.
The White House donated about $550 billion to battle climate change by investing in green technologies. But Munchin, who is a conservative Democrat who has profited from his links to the coal industry, opposed key climate provisions in the legislation.
American Express and Goldman Sachs, aerospace and defense leader Lockheed Martin, health insurance companies UnitedHealth Group and Blue Cross Blue Shield, and natural gas company CNX Resources all donated contributions from $2,500 to $5,000. This led to the PAC raising over $110,000 in November.
Verizon, Union Pacific, Wells Fargo and PACs tied to the coal and mining industries helped Country Roads to raise over $150,000 in October.
A former communications advisor for Manchin, Jonathan Kott, contributed $2,500 to Manchin’s leadership PAC at the end of November.
All of these contributions were made in just two months, which is more than any of the four months prior to October.