Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is teaming up with Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Mike Braun, R-Ind., against a Biden administration rule encouraging "woke capital."
The Democrat appeared Thursday on Fox News' "America's Newsroom" alongside Braun in promotion of a bill the three are working on to prohibit Wall Street firms from basing their investment strategies on social issues rather than solely profits.
Manchin argued the environmental, social, and corporate governance practice, commonly referred to as ESG, puts the U.S. economy in "jeopardy" and could eventually undermine its national security.
"Look at what [Russian President Vladimir] Putin did to weaponize energy," Manchin said. "The geopolitical risk should be evaluated the same as anything else."
"If you're trying to put pressure and get rid of fossil before we have anything to replace it, you are going to damage our economy and make our country much weaker. That's why I've been fighting for energy security," he added.
The move comes as the senator continues to be a thorn in the side of the Biden administration, despite no longer being a deciding vote. Earlier in the day, Manchin proposed legislation to halt President Joe Biden's initiative to phase out gas stoves.
"I can tell you one thing: They're not taking my gas stove out," Manchin told the Senate Energy Committee before introducing a bill co-sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
His rightward shift is suspected to be connected to the 2024 U.S. Senate election in West Virginia, where popular Republican Gov. Jim Justice has floated the possibility of jumping into the race.
"I know the people of West Virginia. I know really and truly that they've been left in the dust, and they really believe in me and trust me," Justice said while informing CBS News that he would decide on running by the end of February.
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