Moderate despite the resistance he faced from the party over opposition to reforming legislative filibuster in an unconventional way Democratic Senator Joe Manchin He said he would not give up his long-standing position.
Prior to the Democratic Caucus meeting on Tuesday evening, Manchin told the media to “filibuster” to invalidate the 60-vote threshold needed to advance legislation in the Senate and allow Democrats to proceed with voting. He said he refused to support his return. Package for the entire finish line.
“Speaking Filibuster” is an old-fashioned style of rule that requires at least one member of the minority to order the Senate floor to maintain filibuster. Last week, the Democratic Party shifted its strategy to reviving “speaking filibuster” after the final proposal to allow a “curve out” of the voting bill, which was exempt from the 60-vote hurdle.
Manchin has accepted to fix the filibuster, but has not abolished it altogether, but he rejected the Democratic idea of using a simple majority vote to do so. “Nuclear option” This has rarely been exercised and Republicans are afraid of slippery slopes to a review of the legislative process. Usually, when changing the rules of legislative procedures, Two-thirds of the members are present and voting.
Manchin did not appear to be upset by the proposal of a major challenge to what fellow Democrats call sabotage on his part. “I’ve been in the primaries for the rest of my life. That won’t be new to me,” he said.
His Democratic colleagues, especially the majority leader of the Senate Chuck Schumer, Have got flip flop Manchin said he was always consistent about filibuster when it was politically advantageous.
“The majority of my colleagues in the Democratic Caucus have changed their minds. I respect it. They have the right to change their minds. I don’t. They also respect it. I hope he will. I have never changed my mind about filibuster, “he added.
Manchin and his Centrist Kyrsten Cinema Important to raising the priority of Democratic policy, they hold swing votes, so the party has relied on hostile to the pair due to their inflexibility. “He doesn’t take anything personally,” Manchin said on Tuesday as Schumer declared that the Chamber of Commerce would end Wednesday’s debate and proceed with nuclear options, despite insufficient voting. “.
“If the Republicans choose to continue filibuster, we need to consider and vote on changes to the rules,” Schumer said. “To avoid this important issue, the long odds for this chamber are no excuse. Again, the members of this chamber were elected for debate and voting. I will vote. “
But if Manchin and Cinema don’t allow the filibuster to change, the Democratic voting law is guaranteed to almost fail.