Sunrise Activists and Hunger Strikers Blockade Manchin at His House Yacht, Demanding His Removal as Chair of the Energy & Natural Resources Committee

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Washington, D.C. – Today, over 100 Sunrise activists and climate hunger strikers blockaded Senator Joe Manchin outside his yacht confronting him on his obstruction of the life affirming climate and jobs package in Congress. They demanded that President Biden and Democratic leadership denounce Manchin’s fossil fuel corruption by removing him as chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and immediately pass a climate and jobs package that meets the scale of the climate crisis. The activists impeded Manchin’s departure to his committee meeting this morning.

“It is egregious and completely unacceptable that Joe Manchin, who has profited millions of dollars from his family’s own fossil fuel firm is in charge of creating consequential climate agenda,” said Lauren Maunus, Advocacy Director of Sunrise Movement. “Manchin must be immediately removed as Chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.”

“Manchin, the Senator from Exxon, is burning our futures for his own profit. The dirty fossil fuel money that props up his house yacht is the same dirty money that is destroying our homes and killing my community in Texas,” said Kidus Girma, a climate hunger striker. “Our lives are worth more than his coal money and we’ll keep fighting until President Biden, Joe Manchin and Democrats pass a climate and jobs package that meets the moment of the climate crisis. One sad, greedy man, cannot stand in the way of life saving climate legislation. Enough is enough.” 

Activists shared these demands at the protest today:

• President Biden and Democratic leadership must call for the removal of Senator Joe Manchin as chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee

• Congress must pass a full climate and jobs package through the Build Back Better Act

This confrontation comes as Manchin continues to stall progress on reconciliation, stating that he wouldn’t support the legislation yet and calling to further reduce climate spending. Through heightened protests over the last month and even a two week hunger strike, Sunrise and climate activists continue to demand that Biden and Congress pass a full climate and jobs package immediately or risk greater climate catastrophes, failure, and their chances of holding onto a Democratic majority. 
 

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The Sunrise Movement is a youth movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process. We unite to make climate change an urgent priority across America, end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and elect leaders who stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people.