WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin, a pivotal centrist, further closed the door on the prospect that he could support any move to end the filibuster in the Senate, a rule change that would allow his party to pass legislation with a simple majority rather than the 60 votes needed for most bills.
“I have said it before and will say it again to remove any shred of doubt: There is no circumstance in which I will vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster,” he said in an opinion article posted on the Washington Post website Wednesday evening.
Manchin, D-W.Va., and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have previously said they would block the party from eliminating the filibuster, even as pressure builds from party lawmakers and activists eager to advance their agenda on gun control, voting rights, immigration and the minimum wage, which have little support among Republicans.
The Senate is currently split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking any ties. To change the rules, Democrats would need all 50 of their senators plus Harris to be on board.
An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.
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