The Democratic party is facing an uphill battle as lawmakers in Washington are set to vote on the sweeping voting rights bill yet it faces a roadblock in the form of West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin. Manchin was questioned by Fox News’s Chris Wallace over his stances on the filibuster and the voting rights bill.
Since the Democratic party has taken control of the Senate, the even split between the two parties has the upper chamber in a deadlock. As the party looks to pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, it would need complete unity and thus Manchin’s support is key to its passage. Fox News host Chris Wallace then questioned Manchin on his opposition to the voting rights bill and opposition to abolish the filibuster.
Wallace pressed Manchin on whether he is aware that he is giving Senate Republicans the power to effectively obstruct legislation being passed by Democrats in the upper chamber. Wallace cited a scenario that if Manchin voted to abolish the filibuster, it would make Republicans actually want to negotiate rather than obstruct the Biden administration’s agenda, which is the goal of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
“I don’t think so,” said the West Virginia lawmaker. “Because we have seven brave Republicans that continue to vote for what they know is right and the facts as they see them, not worrying about the political consequences.” Manchin also maintained that he has Republican colleagues that agree with him on his stance.
Manchin, along with Arizona Democrat Kyrsten Sinema, are the two Democrats that have doubled down on their defense of the filibuster, which has put them under scrutiny and criticism from the progressive faction of the party.
Manchin, known to be a centrist Democrat, is still determined to shore up bipartisan cooperation even as Republicans appear to continue to oppose much of Democrat-passed legislation. The West Virginia lawmaker also weighed in on the ongoing talks between the White House and key Republicans regarding a compromise for the infrastructure bill. Manchin expressed optimism that a compromise could be reached between the two sides, as talks on infrastructure on the GOP side are being led by his fellow West Virginia lawmaker, Shelley Moore Capito.