Sen. Manchin says ending the filibuster would cause ‘serious problems’

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 9:03 AM PT – Thursday, April 22, 2021

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has maintained his stance against Democrat-led attempts to end the filibuster. While speaking with reporters Wednesday, he said getting rid of the filibuster would lead to “serious problems.”

While ending the procedure through a formal rewrite of Senate Rule 22 would require a two-thirds vote in the upper chamber, the so-called “nuclear option” would need only a simple majority to get rid of the filibusters. This would make Manchin’s opposition to the change crucial to keep it in place.

The West Virginia Democrat lawmaker asserted the filibuster was designed to make lawmakers in Congress come together and find bipartisan solutions.

“The Senate is the most deliberate body, it’s supposed to cool things off,” he stated. “We expect partisanship to run hot and heavy in the House, but when it comes to the Senate it’s expected and it was designed for us to come together and find a pathway forward.”

Americans elected a 50-50 Senate. Throwing out the filibuster tells half of the country—and the majority of South Carolinians—that their voices don’t matter, simply because they did not vote Democrat.

It’s time to stop the partisan games and start getting things done.

— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) April 22, 2021

The senator said that while partisanship has made it difficult to pass legislation, it’s not an excuse to eliminate certain checks and balances.

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