Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) released an official statement declaring he will not be voting to diminish the power of the filibuster to push President Biden’s progressive voting legislation through the Senate.
“I will not vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster,” Manchin said in a statement.
Excerpts of Manchin’s statement below:
“Throughout the last decade or more, there has been broad bipartisan support for protecting the filibuster, including current and former members of the Senate. Just four years ago, sixty-one Senators, thirty-three of which were Democrats, sent a letter to Senators Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell warning them of the dangers of eliminating the filibuster. That letter presented a united front committed to, ‘preserve the ability of members to engage in extended debate when bills are on the Senate floor.’ While some of them have changed their position, I have not. Respect is a two-way street – I respect that they have changed and I would hope they respect that I have not. The ability to debate and do the hard work to find consensus between to two parties is more important for our country now than ever before with the Senate evenly divided.”
“While many try to ignore this history, they do so without fully understanding the long-term institutional and democratic damage this will do to the Senate and our nation. Allowing one party to exert complete control in the Senate with only a simple majority will only pour fuel onto the fire of political whiplash and dysfunction that is tearing this nation apart – especially when one party controls both Congress and the White House. As such, and as I have said many times before, I will not vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster.”
Manchin declares he will not vote to eliminate or weaken the filibusterhttps://t.co/MpEbzVMTCa
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 14, 2022