Democratic Senator Joe Manchin is becoming an increasing problem for President Joe Biden’s far-reaching legislative projects. In an opinion piece Manchin wrote for a newspaper in his home state of West Virginia that he would vote against the major electoral reform that all other senators in his party support and which the House of Representatives has already passed with a Democratic majority.
Manchin also made it clear that he is still opposed to the abolition of the so-called filibuster, a rule in the legislative process that allows opposition Republicans in the Senate to block almost all Democrat projects even though they do not have a majority. This means that important democratic legislative projects are in acute jeopardy, including new immigration laws, stricter gun laws and climate protection plans.
Majorities in the Senate are extremely tight. 50 Republican members sit across from 50 Democratic or pro-Democrat members. In the event of a tie, the vote of Vice President Kamala Harris decides. So every vote counts. That gives great power to senators, including Manchin, one of the most conservative and unpredictable Democrats. In the corridors of Congress in Washington, the “King of the Senate” is often mentioned as soon as the conversation turns to the 73-year-old. He is in focus because he has repeatedly stated that he does not agree with some of Biden’s plans. The President himself had been on the phone with Manchin in recent weeks and tried to find compromises.
That Manchin, the voted for his proposed legislation more than any other Democrat under President Donald Trump, now breaking away from the Democratic camp on electoral reform, is a major setback for Biden. The reform, the so-called “For the People Act”, is considered by many in the party to be the most important project to secure democracy in the United States.
No reform without Manchin
The reform is intended to halt efforts by Republicans in many states to make voting more difficult, especially for minorities. Among other things, it should ensure the possibility of being able to vote by letter. There should be automatic voter registration and more transparency for the candidates. Future presidential candidates should have to publish their tax returns, which Donald Trump had refused to do.
For Manchin, however, the For the People Act is a “partisan” project. He promotes more negotiations, more cooperation, more compromises between Democrats and Republicans. However, hardly anyone in Washington believes that such compromises are currently possible. Powerful Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has pledged to block Biden’s agenda whenever possible. And so there should not be a Republican who votes for the electoral reform. Without Manchin’s voice, the current version of the For the People Act died.