Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has quickly denied a report that he's been threatening to leave the Democratic Party and even has a specific exit strategy in mind.
A report Wednesday from Mother Jones said the moderate Democrat from West Virginia has been privately telling associates he's considering leaving the Democratic Party if Democrats don't agree to reduce the size of their social infrastructure bill to $1.75 trillion, as he has demanded. Manchin, the report said, has claimed to have "devised a detailed exit strategy for his departure" and told associates this would involve declaring himself an "American Independent."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Manchin has been a crucial player in the ongoing negotiations in Congress over President Biden's Build Back Better agenda, saying he can't support a $3.5 trillion spending package and proposing $1.75 trillion instead. The Mother Jones report said Manchin's planned exit strategy would involve sending Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) a letter announcing he's removing himself from Democratic leadership in the Senate and seeing if this impacted negotiations. He would then change his voter registration to independent about a week later.
Vice reporter Cameron Joseph noted Manchin has "used these threats effectively in the past to get what he wants," having once threatened to retire if Democrats didn't end a government shutdown. The Mother Jones report said it wasn't clear whether Manchin would still caucus with Democrats if he followed through on his threat, but it added that he at least "believes it is likely he will leave the party by November 2022."
-
5 critical cartoons about the proposed Russia-Ukraine peace dealCartoons Artists take on talking turkey, Putin's puppet, and more
-
Could Trump run for a third term?The Explainer Constitutional amendment limits US presidents to two terms, but Trump diehards claim there is a loophole
-
Political cartoons for November 28Cartoons Friday's political cartoons include economic diagnosis, climate distractions, and more
-
US government shutdown: why the Democrats ‘caved’In the Spotlight The recent stalemate in Congress could soon be ‘overshadowed by more enduring public perceptions’
-
A crowded field of Democrats is filling up the California governor’s raceIn the Spotlight Over a dozen Democrats have declared their candidacy
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Will Chuck Schumer keep his job?Today's Big Question Democrats are discontented and pointing a finger at the Senate leader
