Manchin sees ‘no circumstance’ for voting to kill filibuster

“We should all be concerned about the way the budget reconciliation process is being used by both sides to stifle the debate about the main issues facing our country today,” he wrote. “Legislation should never be easy. Addressing the needs of both rural and urban communities in one piece of legislation is hard work, but it is the work we have been chosen for. “

Manchin pointed to his own voting record as a senator. In 2013, he voted against the accusation of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of eliminating the filibuster for cabinet-level nominees and federal judges. In 2017, he voted against a proposal by Senate Leader Mitch McConnell to lower the threshold to end the Supreme Court nominee debate to a simple majority.

“Every time the Senate has voted to weaken the filibuster over the past decade, the political dysfunction and stalemate have gotten worse,” he wrote. “The political games taking place in the halls of Congress only fuel the hateful rhetoric and violence we now see in our country.”

The op-ed comes after Manchin said Monday that Biden’s plan to pay for infrastructure by raising the corporate tax rate to 28 percent was a non-starter.

“We will not solve our nation’s problems in one Congress if we only look for partisan solutions,” he wrote. “Rather than focusing on eliminating the filibuster or shortening the legislative process through budget alignment, it is time we did our job.”

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