WASHINGTON — For once, what Sen. Joe Manchin III wanted didn’t matter.
Manchin, D-W.Va., who has essentially wielded veto power over Democrats’ agenda as a key swing vote in a split Senate, conceded defeat Tuesday as it became increasingly clear that colleagues from both parties would reject his bid to speed up government approval of new energy projects.
Manchin asked Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., to remove his permitting proposal — which was coupled with a must-pass government funding bill — setting the stage for Congress to pass the funding bill without Manchin’s pet project.
