Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) is coming under fire from a fellow Democrat.
“Joe Manchin has become the new Mitch McConnell,” Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) declared during a “New Day” interview on Monday, responding to Manchin’s opposition to ending the filibuster.
Bowman noted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) previous vow to stop former President Barack Obama and his recent vow to stop President Joe Biden.
During the Trump administration, McConnell, who was the Senate majority leader, vowed to be the “grim reaper” in Congress to thwart Democratic proposals.
“Now, Joe Manchin is doing everything in his power to stop democracy and to stop our work for the people,” the Democratic lawmaker said.
Bowman declared that Manchin is “not pushing us closer to bipartisanship, he is doing the work of the Republican Party by being an obstructionist.”
Watch the video below:
"Joe Manchin has become the new Mitch McConnell," Rep. Jamaal Bowman says as the West Virginia senator tanks Democrats' hopes of going it alone on their sweeping agenda.
— CNN This Morning with Kasie Hunt (@CNNThisMorning) June 7, 2021
"He's doing the work of the Republican Party by being an obstructionist."https://t.co/E5XYuYSBcr pic.twitter.com/9uFZhNBWfc
Asked if it is “fair” to compare Manchin to McConnell as Manchin has voted 100% in line with Biden, Bowman noted large support for H.R.1, which is For the People Act.
Manchin dealt a blow to Democrats’ hope of passing the election reform bill on Sunday, as IJR reported on.
“The right to vote is fundamental to our American democracy, and protecting that right should not be about party or politics. Least of all, protecting this right, which is a value I share, should never be done in a partisan manner,” Machin wrote in an op-ed.
He later added, “I will vote against the For the People Act. Furthermore, I will not vote to weaken or eliminate the filibuster. For as long as I have the privilege of being your U.S. senator, I will fight to represent the people of West Virginia, to seek bipartisan compromise no matter how difficult, and to develop the political bonds that end divisions and help unite the country we love.”