Manchin quietly discusses Senate rules changes with Republicans
Sen.
Joe Manchin (W.Va.), a key Democratic holdout on reforming the filibuster, is discussing small changes to Senate rules with Republicans.
Manchin’s discussions with GOP colleagues — which haven’t been previously reported — come as Democrats are trying to win over their conservative colleague on their push to “restore the Senate,” including making changes to the 60-vote legislative filibuster.
Members of GOP leadership told The Hill that Manchin had reached out to them to float potential ideas with an eye toward making it easier to get votes and bills to the floor.
“Most of us would argue that the only thing that it takes to get the Senate working better is behavioral change. … But he is trying to come up with some fairly, I would say, creative ideas about the rules,” said Sen.
John Thune (S.D.), the No. 2 Senate Republican.
Thune added that Manchin had spoken with other GOP senators and that there was a “considerable amount of interest in trying to make the Senate functional.”
Sen.
Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) confirmed that Manchin had also talked to him.
“You know I had a lot of discussions with Schumer on this topic when he was the ranking member on Rules and I was the chairman and we could reopen that discussion," he added, referring to Senate Majority Leader
Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.).
Manchin says he hasn’t changed his mind on the filibuster, where he’s opposed to nixing the 60-vote threshold altogether or making a carveout. But, asked by The Hill if he was open to smaller changes like making it easier to get amendment votes or bills to the floor, Manchin indicated that talks are ongoing.
“I’ve been talking to Republicans and Democrats, how do we make the place work, so we can treat each other like human beings and try to get something accomplished and do the job we are supposed to do,” Manchin said.
Manchin added that they were talking about “any rules that would basically help this place work.”
The discussions involving Manchin and GOP senators come as a group of Democratic senators, tapped by Schumer, are trying to come up with rules change proposals that would help break the stalemate on voting rights and elections legislation, which has been filibustered by Republicans.
Two Democratic senators taking part in the Democratic-only discussions — Sens.
Tim Kaine (Va.) and
Jon Tester (Mont.) — indicated that Manchin’s talks were a separate effort and said that they had not dispatched him to go talk with Republicans.
“You know, Joe will be Joe. … We don’t control anybody around here,” Tester said.
Thune floated that Manchin’s talks could be a back channel effort to dial down pressure on Democrats to make changes to the filibuster.
“I think part of maybe his motivation too is just to take the pressure off of that and if we could get some things done that would make it more conducive to accomplishment then he wouldn’t feel, and others wouldn't feel, as much pressure to nuke the filibuster,” Thune said.
Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.), a key Democratic holdout on reforming the filibuster, is discussing small changes to Senate rules with Republicans.Manchin’s discussions with GOP colleagues — which haven’…
thehill.com