Centrist Sen. Joe Manchin
Joseph (Joe) ManchinHoyer: The House will vote on the COVID-19 relief bill on Friday. Haaland moderate courts during tense Senate confirmation listening to Democrats at standoff over minimum wage (DW.Va.) is the most important vote in the equally divided Senate, and its power can trigger prolonged intra-party feuds among Democrats.
Concerned about latent friction, Senate majority leader Charles Schumer
Chuck SchumerCongress holds candlelight vigil for American lives lost to COVID-19 The Hill’s Report 12:30 pm – Presented by Facebook – Lawmakers investigate security breaches on January 6. Senate confirms Thomas-Greenfield as UN ambassador MORE (DN.Y.) on Tuesday strongly urged its Democratic caucus to unify around an outstanding $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package.
Manchin seems to have derailed President biden
Joe BidenHoyer: House is going to vote on the COVID-19 relief bill on Friday. Pence meets with senior members of the Republican Studies Committee. Powell rejects Republican Party inflation fearsthe nominee to head the White House budget office, Neera Tanden
Neera TandenHaaland courts moderates during a tense Senate confirmation hearing On The Money: Schumer asks Democrats to stick together in the .9T bill | Collins dismisses Republican Party support for Biden’s relief plan | Powell fights inflation fears Schumer urges Democrats to stick together in the bill .9T MORE, announcing last week that he would vote against her because of the harsh criticism she made on Twitter against colleagues in the Senate. In a 50-50 Senate, Tanden now needs the support of at least one Republican, and perhaps more, which seems unlikely.
Manchin jeopardized Biden’s plan to raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour by announcing this month that he opposes such an increase. He suggested, instead, set it at $ 11 an hour and index it to inflation.
Asked about Manchin’s impact on the Democratic agenda, Schumer told reporters on Tuesday that he called on his colleagues to work together.
“I made a proposal today for all of our caucus and said that we need to approve this project. The American people, the American public demands it, ”said Schumer, after a meeting with Democratic senators.
Schumer said that not every Democratic senator will be entirely satisfied with the COVID-19 relief bill, but he warned that the party must pass it. Most likely, every Democrat in the upper house will have to support the measure to put it on the president’s desk.
“Job No. 1 is to pass the law. We must approve the account. And I am confident that we will, ”added Schumer.
Manchin said on Monday he would try to amend Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion relief proposal, which the House is scheduled to approve this week, to set the federal minimum wage at $ 11 an hour.
“Eleven dollars is the right place to be,” he said. “I would change it to $ 11.” He also added that his plan is to index the wage floor to inflation.
The Senate congressman is also expected to decide soon whether Democrats can include the minimum wage in their budgetary reconciliation project. Biden indicated that he doubts that she would allow it, but progressives disagree.
The approval of Biden’s pending $ 1.9 trillion aid package, however, is only the beginning of the challenges that Schumer, Manchin and the rest of the Democratic party are facing.
“I talked to Harry Reid
Harry Mason ReidLas Vegas Airport will be renamed after former Senator Harry Reid Sanders replacing key officials with campaign advisers. Collins re-enacts his role as a martyr, but did Biden learn his lesson? MOST about him and he said [Manchin] it’s always been a pain in the ass, ”said Ross K. Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers University who served as a fellow in the office of former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).
“[Manchin is] in a strange position. He is a Democrat from a state that has supported Trump more strongly than any other state, ”added Baker, noting that President Trump
Donald Trump Romney: “Sure” Trump would win the Republican Party nomination in 2024 if he ran for the Pence presidency by meeting with senior members of the Republican Studies Committee Trump says “without a doubt” Tiger Woods will be back after the accident MORE took West Virginia with 68 percent in 2016 and 69 percent in 2020. In 2020, Trump won a larger percentage of the votes in Wyoming alone – 70 percent.
The 73-year-old senator cannot be re-elected until 2024. He won his last electoral contest by 3 points, a contest he later said “had a price” on him.
Manchin’s support is far from certain if Democrats try to approve Biden’s “Build Back Better” jobs and economic recovery plan.
President of the Senate Budget Committee Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders Sanders has a right goal, a wrong target in the fight to help low-wage Democrats at a standstill over the minimum wage Sanders votes against USDA-nominated Biden, Vilsack MORE (I-Vt.), Who is pushing hard for a $ 15 hourly wage bill, said discussions are already underway on the use of special budget rules to approve a huge economic stimulus package with a simple majority of votes after the $ 1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan becomes law.
Manchin said on Tuesday that Democratic leaders should approve an infrastructure and jobs project, which can cost up to $ 3 trillion, through regular ordering, which means working with Republicans instead of using another reconciliation package. budget to get around Republican colleagues.
“I want to make sure that we get back to some regular orders. Must go through the committee[s]. These are important things that need to be done, they are policy changes and I would like to use the committee process and, if someone understands this better than Joe Biden, I don’t know who it would be, ”he said. “We need to get back to the normal order.”
Asked if he had reservations about using special budget rules to approve a second package, he said: “Regular order. We will try. Let’s try to see if the place will work first. ”
Manchin, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, also raised doubts this week about another of Biden’s nominees, Rep. Deb Haaland
Deb Haaland Courts of Haaland are moderated during tense Senate confirmation hearing OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Haaland courts are moderated during tense confirmation hearing | Republican Party’s Westerman tries to confront Democrats in climate change | White House calls for approval of Schumer House public land package asks Democrats to stick together in the bill .9T MORE (DN.M.). Her spokeswoman said the senator is undecided about Haaland, who would be the first Native American to head the Interior Department or serve in the Cabinet.
This led to a severe rebuke from the liberal representative. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Alexandria Ocasio-CortezOcasio-Cortez criticizes opening of migrant facility for children under Biden Udalls: Haaland’s criticisms motivated ‘by something other than his history’ Ocasio-Cortez aims at Manchin on Haaland confirmation MORE (DN.Y.), which juxtaposed Manchin’s indecision about Haaland with his support for Trump’s Jeff Sessions
Jefferson (Jeff) Beauregard SessionsUdalls: Haaland’s criticisms motivated “by something other than his record” Ocasio-Cortez targets Manchin instead of Haaland confirmation LIVE COVERAGE: Senate set to consider Garland for AG MORE in 2017 to head the Department of Justice.
“Manchin voted to confirm it. The sessions were then targeted at immigrant children for large-scale human rights abuses with family separation. Still, the first native woman to be a cabinet secretary is where Manchin is uncomfortable? ”Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
Manchin’s role as the 50th and most difficult vote in the Democratic caucus has improved his profile. Scholars praised him as a new holder of power in the Senate and the most powerful member of the equally divided upper chamber.
WDTV in Bridgeport, W.Va., labeled Manchin last month as “the most powerful senator”, while Bloomberg Businessweek’s Joshua Green hailed him as a “kingmaker” and The Washington Post wrote that he is “the key to Biden’s ambitious climate agenda “.
Manchin maintained a relatively low profile during the first few weeks of the new Democratic majority in the Senate, maintaining his lead in important votes on budget resolution, the top choices of the Biden Cabinet and Trump’s second impeachment trial.
But he is beginning to assert himself more forcefully as it becomes clear that it will be difficult to get Republican support on certain issues.
The West Virginia senator downplayed talks on Tuesday about him becoming a kingmaker or power broker.
“No, there is nothing about the powerbroker. I report it completely, ”he said.
“I will tell you about the power. I’ve seen people who have it, abuse it. I have seen people who tried to ruin it, ”he said.
But he also said he “saw people who took a while and tried to make a change and a difference,” adding that he hopes to be a legislator who works beyond party lines to make a difference.
Manchin joked that the main facts to know about him are: “I have three children and 10 grandchildren”.