They’ll need to convince leadership and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers to support their effort — and to give them floor space at the end of the year.
So far, several key lawmakers have said they are open to the effort — but have stopped short of endorsing it.
“I’d like to get permitting reform done,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters when asked about the bill this week.
Schumer said he had not yet seen the text, and didn’t say whether he supported it.
House Natural Resources Committee Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), who has been negotiating with Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), to reach a House-side deal, said the Manchin-Barrasso language will “mesh really well” with their own efforts.
The Barrasso-Manchin bill, unveiled Monday, comes shortly before lawmakers prepare to depart Washington for the more than month-long August recess.
The Senate is also slated to be out in October and early November, as many lawmakers focus on their reelection campaigns and the presidential race — leaving limited time on the legislative calendar.
Barrasso spokesperson Brian Faughnan told The Hill in an email Thursday that the senator and his staff “have been communicating with relevant members and offices in the House and Senate.”
He added that Barrasso “will look for opportunities to advance the bill during the lame duck session of Congress.”
Read more when a full report runs tomorrow at TheHill.com.
