Sen. Joe Manchin Pushes Back Against Rumors He Has Threatened to Leave Democrats

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) pushed backmost against rumors during an interrogation connected Thursday, insisting helium has not threatened to permission the Democratic Party, calling the rumors “simply untrue.”

In an exclusive interrogation with The Hill, he addressed questions raised successful a Mother Jones communicative earlier successful the week that suggested Manchin would wantonness Democrats if they did not chopped President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better spending program from $3.5 trillion to $1.75 trillion.

“I’m not threatening to leave. Why would I? I’m precise unafraid successful my positions and honestly, I’m not the 1 stressed out,” Manchin said, according to the report.

The rumors look to person stemmed from a treatment Manchin held with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), according to Manchin’s explanation.

“I person told the president, Chuck Schumer, and adjacent the full caucus that if it is ‘embarrassing’ to them to person a moderate, centrist Democrat successful the premix and if it would assistance them publicly, I could go an Independent—like Bernie—and past they could explicate immoderate of this to the nationalist saying it’s analyzable to corral these 2 Independents, Bernie and me,” helium added.

Vermont’s Bernie Sanders and Maine’s Angus King presently service arsenic Independents. The 2 senators caucus with Democrats, giving the enactment 50 votes successful the Senate, tipping powerfulness to the enactment owed to Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote.

But Manchin posted a connection to Twitter past week successful absorption to Sanders’ views.

https://t.co/iU96GLGzsT pic.twitter.com/ly944dr2dE

— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) October 15, 2021

The legislator blasted Sanders’ presumption connected spending, urging Congress to alternatively proceed with caution regarding caller spending. “No op-ed from a self-declared Independent socialist is going to alteration that,” Manchin wrote.

In opposition with Manchin, some Sanders and King are considered much progressive. Instead, Manchin and Arizona Democrat Kyrsten Sinema person stood arsenic the 2 moderates who person astatine times opposed Biden spending plans. Both Democrats person repeatedly stated absorption to the existent spending bill.

Sinema has supported the related $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Manchin has alternatively called for a “pause” successful pushing some bills.

“Every Member of Congress has a solemn work to ballot for what they judge is champion for the state and the American people, not their party. Respectfully, arsenic I person said for months, I can’t enactment $3.5 trillion much successful spending erstwhile we person already spent $5.4 trillion since past March. At immoderate point, each of us, careless of enactment indispensable inquire the elemental question—how overmuch is enough?” Manchin said successful a September statement.

Biden has reportedly held discussions for a reduced spending program aft lacking the votes to determination guardant with his party’s $3.5 trillion bill, though details person not yet been released.

The rumor of Manchin turning Independent to articulation forces with Republicans would marque for a large powerfulness alteration successful Washington. The power would marque existent Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) the Senate’s caller leader, giving Republicans an vantage successful the Senate.