Bill Gates-led, billionaire-backed energy org ramped up lobbying ahead of Manchin-Schumer climate deal

A Bill Gates-led energy organization backed by fellow billionaires such as Jeff Bezos, Reid Hoffman and George Soros ramped up its lobbying activity in the months leading up to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin’s surprise climate deal announcement, according to a Fox News Digital review of disclosure forms.

Breakthrough Energy LLC, a company associated with the billionaire-backed Breakthrough Energy coalition, reported dropping $1.43 million into lobbying activity since May 2021 in filings to the Secretary of the Senate reviewed by Fox News Digital.

During the second quarter – when talks reportedly stalled on the bill – Breakthrough Energy LLC upped its lobbying endeavors by pushing $390,000 into its influence campaign, which included President Biden’s Build Back Better Act, the disclosures show. This amount was $100,000 more than the company had spent on lobbying in any previous quarter since last summer.

The Manchin-Schumer deal, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, is a slimmed-down version of Biden’s Build Back Better Act. It will cost an estimated $433 billion, most of which will be invested in climate provisions while increasing tax revenue by an estimated $739 billion. – READ MORE