In Leaked Audio, Manchin Tells Donors He’s Open To Lowering Filibuster Threshold: ‘One of the Many Good, Good Suggestions I’ve Heard’
In a leaked audio recording obtained by The Intercept, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) signaled he’s open to reforming the filibuster, which he has robustly and repeatedly defended in public.
The audio is from a Zoom call Manchin had with donors on Monday with the centrist political organization No Labels. During the call, Manchin discussed a range of issues, and perhaps most notably signaled that he may be open to lowering the number of votes required to carry a cloture motion from 60 votes to 55.
Manchin told donors he was looking for help in gaining the necessary 10 Republican votes to establish a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 Capitol riot. Last month, the Senate failed to approve the measure, which fell short by six votes. However, three senators who did not vote, said they would have voted in favor. Manchin has told CNN he wants to have another vote on the commission.
The West Virginia senator said on the call that procuring 10 Republican votes would take away progressives’ most compelling complaint about the filibuster, which is that Republicans are uncooperative obstructionists.
At one point during the call, Manchin was asked about the possibility of lowering the threshold to 55.
“That’s that’s one of many good, good suggestions,” he said, noting that the Senate had lowered the threshold before in the 1970s.
“So I’m open to looking at it,” Manchin told donors. “I’m just not open to getting rid of the filibuster, that’s all.”
“Right now, 60 is where I planted my flag, but as long as they know that I’m going to protect this filibuster, we’re looking at good solutions.”
In its current form, the filibuster puts the onus on those who seek a bill’s passage to muster 60 votes. But Manchin addressed the possibility of placing the burden on the minority and requiring 41 “no” votes to kill a bill. (There were 35 “no” votes on the Capitol commission cloture vote.)
I think, basically, it should be [that] 41 people have to force the issue versus the 60 that we need in the affirmative. So find 41 in the negative. … I think one little change that could be made right now is basically anyone who wants to filibuster ought to be required to go to the floor and basically state your objection and why you’re filibustering and also state what you think needs to change that’d fix it, so you would support it. To me, that’s pretty constructive.
Earlier this month Manchin penned an op-ed in West Virginia’s Charleston Gazette-Mail in which he flatly declared, “I will not vote to weaken or eliminate the filibuster.” In April, he wrote an op-ed for The Washington Post, stating, “There is no circumstance in which I will vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster.”
Manchin is currently in talks with Republicans on elections legislation, after he signaled his opposition to the For the People Act, a voting rights bill popular among progressives. The senator would appear to be making an effort to prove his theory that Democrats will be able to find “10 good people” across the aisle to vote with Democrats.
Or maybe five.
