Joe Manchin on his Biden Agenda veto: ‘This is not a good place to be’

Joe Manchin on his Biden Agenda veto: ‘This is not a good place to be’

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He says maintaining the 60 requirement to overcome a filibuster is a “red line” for him. And he made it clear that he would block the promotion of an infrastructure package on a party line if Democrats did not work with Republicans.

Manchin added: “It’s not good. It’s not a good place to be.”

But he offered this warning to his party when he tried to move legislation along straight party lines: “I’m going to make sure they do not.”

Manchin, a rare Senate Democrat from a deep-red state who defeated former President Donald Trump in a landslide, has long held the slot as the most likely swing vote among Senate Democrats, a position the 73-year-old values ​​as he presents senators. of both parties at his boat he lives in Washington.
Manchin joined the Senate after literally shooting the Democrats’ proposal for climate change in a 2010 campaign ad – and recently joined the Republicans during the Trump years on some of the most controversial issues, such as voting to To confirm Brett Kavanaugh before the Supreme Court and William. Barr as Attorney General. Yet he also voted to condemn Trump in both indictments and voted against attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Manchin argues that he is merely trying to ensure that the two parties work together in a highly polarized political environment. His Democratic critics say he pays far too much respect to an opposition party eager to thwart the president’s agenda.

How Democrats miscalculated Manchin and later reclaimed him

Now, under Biden, Manchin has a unique seat: the Democrat must get the new president on board if votes are to definitely descend along the party lines. And privately, he encouraged Biden Manchin to stick to his beliefs, something he has already done, as he has frustrated some of the White House’s agenda.

Manchin’s opposition has effectively sunk the nomination of Neera Tanden as head of the office of management and budget because he claims that her tweets from the past have made her ‘too toxic’. And he sent Washington into almost twelve hours of tension when he initially had a change at the moment of unemployment benefits, a position that Democrats feared could drop Biden’s Covid $ 1.9 billion aid plan. . Eventually, he cut a deal and then backed the bill, which passed the Senate by a 50-49 vote without GOP support.

Democratic Senate leaders say everyone in their caucus has the same power. But Manchin is the one who uses it the most.

“Anyone in a 50-50 Senate is capable of doing that,” said Senator Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat and member of the leadership. Asked if Manchin should be careful not to achieve too much, Stabenow said: “I think we should all guard against that.”

With the flood of attention he gets, some of his colleagues also do not want to talk about him.

‘This is what I’m going to say about Manchin: Everyone asks me for him. Why don’t you just ask him? ‘ says GOP Senator Shelley Moore Capito, who also represents West Virginia. ‘Serious. If you have a margin of one vote, everyone has a lot of influence. Talk to him about it. ‘

Indeed, several other members who agree with the Democrats could be potential votes, such as Sens. Arizona’s Kyrsten Cinema, Montana’s Jon Tester and Angus King of Maine, while others facing difficult re-election may break away from their party – such as Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, who agreed with seven of her colleagues against an attempt to include a federal minimum wage of $ 15 in the relief bill.

Indecisive about the most important nominees

Yet few get as much attention from the White House as Manchin. With the nomination of Biden to be the Pentagon’s deputy secretary of policy, Colin Kahl, hanging by a thread, defended Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin over the phone to support Manchin’s support. The West Virginia Democrat also spoke with former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates and Kahl himself.

In his conversation with Manchin, Kahl regrets his tweets in the past, and Manchin said that they were ‘nowhere as productive’ as those of Tanden.

“Tweets,” Manchin said, sounding upset. “I do not know why people want to go on there. I really do not know.”

Other nominees also enchanted Manchin – the youngest being Xavier Becerra, who has been named Secretary of Health and Human Services. With the GOP’s opposition, because Becerra is too liberal for the post, Manchin’s support could be crucial.

“Here’s the thing, I was quite different about it, you follow me?” Manchin said of presidential candidates.

On Becerra, Manchin said: “His political background is different from mine. OK? I appreciate his fight for the ACA on the basis of all the people with existing conditions and 800,000 West Virginiaers would have lost, and he fought for it. But some of his other views are different from mine, but you understand, it is not his policy that he insists’ if he were to be confirmed.

It remains to be seen whether any Republican will support Becerra, with both GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine who indicate they are undecided and still talking to Becerra, and Sen Mitt Romney of Utah who tells CNN that he intends to oppose. him.

“He’s just outside the mainstream of his own party regarding abortion and regarding religious freedom,” Romney said Wednesday about Becerra.

Other nominees could possibly depend on winning all Democratic support, such as Vanita Gupta as the no. 3 at the Department of Justice, although Manchin has indicated that he has not yet reviewed her nomination.

For Chiden Schumer, leader of the Biden and Senate majority, they recognize the importance of Manchin’s voice – something that became clear in the course of a hectic day of negotiations last Friday on the relief package. Schumer bluntly warned Manchin that supporting a Republican alternative to unemployment benefits would kill the general relief bill, while Biden used more of a soft sale: encouraging him to vote his conscience.

“I wanted Donald Trump to succeed,” Manchin said in the interview. “I want Joe Biden to succeed … But as he said, ‘Joe,’ he said, ‘I never asked you to go against your convictions. “And I said to him, ‘I appreciate it, Mr. President, because I will not.’ ”

Manchin promises to block party line efforts

As Democrats try to continue a massive infrastructure package, Manchin said bluntly that he would block the attempt if they wanted to advance the plan on a straight party vote and use a budget process called “reconciliation” – and not even try to win Republicans. This is the same process the Democrats used to pass the comprehensive bill that Congress cleared Wednesday.

However, if Democrats do not use the budget process, they will have to win at least ten Republicans to break a filibuster, which needs 60 votes, something that could be a challenging task.

“It would be nice to find a common ground first,” Tester said as he tried to win Republicans before moving on to reconciliation. He adds with a laugh: “But I do not want to sound like Joe Manchin.”

Many Democrats were delighted last weekend when Manchin showed frankness in reviewing the filibuster, a tool he has long promised to protect in the name of his predecessor, the late Sen. West Senator Robert Byrd, a fierce defender of the Senate.

Manchin suggests he could be open to forcing senators to keep his word – rather than the current situation, where a simple threat to the filibuster is enough to slow down the body and a vote on a 60-vote threshold forced.

But Manchin has made it clear he will not withdraw from the 60-vote threshold, and CNN has said it is a “red line” for him. This means Democrats will not have the votes to change the filibuster rules to allow 51 senators to advance legislation, although a growing number in their party are demanding the monumental change as opposed to the GOP’s opposition to many of their big card agenda items.

“The red line has minority participation in your process,” Manchin said. “That’s the way we’re designed … I saw no reason to get out of the 60s.”

Manchin’s colleagues on both sides are watching him closely.

“I hope he sticks to his guns,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina. ‘I’m sure Robert Byrd wants him to do it. And the residents of West Virginia. We will stop being the Senate if it disappears. ‘

CNN’s Olanma Mang and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.

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