On Wednesday, a group of senators did something rarely seen on the Hill these days: They passed transformative legislation out of committee with resounding bipartisan support.
The Manchin-Barrasso bipartisan permitting reform bill advanced with 15 senators voting in favor and only Sens. Bernie Sanders, Ron Wyden, Mazie Hirono and Josh Hawley against, breaking with traditional votes out of markups that usually pass or fail along party lines.
Sen. Joe Manchin said after the vote that he was excited by the positive reception and optimistic the bill could come for a full vote in the Senate before the end of the year. The Biden administration has not yet fully consulted on the bill and neither has House leadership, Manchin said.