Exxon Mobil has been lobbying against parts of Biden reconciliation

Exxon Mobil has been lobbying against pieces of a sprawling Democratic budget bill aimed at boosting working class families and fighting climate change.

The fossil fuel giant has spent $275,000 over the past week on Facebook ads that include spots targeting tax hikes Democrats have included in the bill, which has a $3.5 trillion price tag at the moment. An Exxon lobbyist earlier this year also focused on legislation regarding corporate and international taxes.

The final shape of the bill has yet to be determined, although it is expected to include measures to boost child and elder care, and policies aimed at cutting carbon emissions. Democratic leaders hope to pass the bill within weeks.

The ads don’t mention President Joe Biden or the Democrats. At least six of the ads ran from Friday through Monday, although they are now inactive. One of those advertisements says, “Tell Congress no tax hikes.” After a user clicks the ad, it reads, “Contact your elected officials today and let them know you oppose the proposed tax increases on American businesses.”

The recent $275,000-plus ad buy is part of $2 million Exxon has spent on Facebook ads over the past 90 days. The spots pushing opposing raising taxes on businesses also ran before the prior-week period.

Democrats have proposed raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 26.5% as a way to help pay for the bill. They have also called for increased fees on the fossil fuel industry, while they are divided over whether to include a carbon tax.

The public is largely supportive of tax increases on corporations and the wealthy. A recent Morning Consult poll shows that 68% of those surveyed support raising taxes on the wealthy, and 62% have the same opinion of a possible uptick in corporate taxes.

Several special interest groups have launched lobbying efforts against the tax proposals and other elements of the bill, with much of the focus on centrists such as Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz. Democrats need all 50 members of their caucus in the Senate to pass the measure using a tactic called budget reconciliation, which means they won’t need to sway any Republicans to reach the usual 60-vote threshold to allow bills to proceed.

Any overhaul will require support from Manchin, whose home state of West Virginia is a large producer of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil. The state is home to part of the Marcellus Shale, a geological formation that also serves as one of the biggest natural gas fields in North America. Exxon Mobil oil and gas fracking subsidiary XTO Energy has operations in West Virginia.

Since the 2012 election cycle, Manchin has received just over $12,000 from the…