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."
-
The 8 best biopic movies of the 21st century (so far!)the week recommends Not all true stories are feel good tales, but the best biopics offer insight into broader social and political trends
-
Washington grapples with ICE’s growing footprint — and futureTALKING POINTS The deadly provocations of federal officers in Minnesota have put ICE back in the national spotlight
-
‘One day fentanyl will come back — and there will be little anyone can do’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How realistic is the Democratic plan to retake the Senate this year?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Schumer is growing bullish on his party’s odds in November — is it typical partisan optimism, or something more?
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
