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Senator Joe Manchin says he “can’t imagine” supporting an exception to Senate filibuster rules to pass the Democrats’ sweeping elections and campaign finance bill, which is a priority absolute for his party.
“I can’t imagine an exclusion,” the moderate Democratic senator from West Virginia said on Sunday in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” when asked if he could support such a move.
SENATE REPUBLICS USE FILIBUSTER TO BLOCK LARGE BILL ON DEMOCRAT VOTING RIGHTS
Filing, a long-standing Senate tradition requiring 60 votes in the 100-member chamber to move a bill forward, effectively allows the minority party to block certain laws. The Senate is currently 50/50 split between the two parties, with Democrats holding a very small majority due to Vice President Kamala Harris’ decisive vote through her constitutional role as Speaker of the Senate.
But Democrats are nowhere near getting the 60 votes needed to overturn an obstruction. They do not even have the simple majority necessary to eliminate the filibuster rule. Manchin and his moderate Democratic colleague Kyrsten Sinema oppose pressure from lawmakers on the left of their party to remove the filibuster.
DEMOCRATIC SENATE CANDIDATES IN KEY RACES RAISE FUND FOR OBSTACLE TO CLOSURE
In June, Senate Republicans used filibuster to successfully bring down the Democrats’ franchise bill, which is one of the main items on their agenda. Democrats are pushing for reforms in response to moves by 18 states where Republicans control state government to adopt measures to strengthen voting access rules. Republicans argue the measures are aimed at strengthening voter integrity, but Democrats accuse the new laws of being voter suppression tools.
Manchin, explaining his opposition to an obstruction exemption, highlighted past exclusions.
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“I was here in 2013 when it was called an exclusion, we’re just going to do the president’s cabinet, and then we’re going to do the judges who are life appointments for the circuit and the district,” the senator said.
“They really want to sit on the Supreme Court, but they didn’t at the time, Democrats were in charge. 2017, (GOP Senate Leader) Mitch McConnell is in charge, comes right back and guess what, that cutout worked to really cut out. Then you’ve got the Supreme Court, okay, so nothing can stop it, ”Manchin pointed out.
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