Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) is defending his opposition to eliminating the filibuster, which means Democrats will need 60 votes to pass most legislation.
During an interview on CNN, host Dana Bash noted that Democrats believe they may have a short period of time to pass legislation before the 2022 mid-terms. She asked how he would respond to the charge that he is “one of the main roadblocks” to passing legislation.
“I’m not a roadblock at all. The best politics is good government. I can’t believe that people believe that if you just do it my way, that will give us the momentum to get through the next election,” Manchin responded.
He continued, “We won’t give this system a chance to work. I’m not going to be part of blowing up this Senate of ours or basically this democracy of ours or the republic that we have.”
Watch the video below:
Sen. Joe Manchin says he is "not a roadblock at all" for the Biden administration's goals, adding, "I am not going to be part of blowing up this Senate of ours, or basically this democracy of ours or the republic that we have." #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/bYoBCb4vdA
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) April 25, 2021
The filibuster is a procedural hurdle used to delay or prevent a vote on a bill, which effectively means that most legislation requires 60 votes to advance — which can be a high bar in a Senate that is divided 50-50.
However, some Congressional Democrats have argued that due to Republican opposition to their agenda, they should eliminate the filibuster, which would allow them to pass legislation with just 51 votes.
But Manchin, who would be a crucial vote for Democrats if they wanted to scrap the filibuster, has been adamant that he would not support the move.
In March, he was asked if he would ever change his stance on the filibuster, he responded, “Never! Jesus Christ. What don’t you understand about never?”
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) has also said she would oppose ending the filibuster and instead argued, “I think the solution is for senators to change their behavior and begin to work together, which is what the country wants us to do.”