https://news.yahoo.com/u-democ....rat-manchin-opposed-
U.S. Senator Manchin, in threat to Biden agenda, opposes reconciliation, backs filibuster By Eric Beech
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, a pivotal vote in the evenly divided Senate, said on Wednesday he was opposed to a process called reconciliation that makes it easier to pass bills without Republican support, a potential blow to President Joe Biden's chances of passing a huge infrastructure measure.
Manchin also said he would not support any step to weaken the ability of Republicans to mount filibusters to block legislation. Some Democrats want to toss aside the filibuster rule, which requires 60 votes in the 100-member chamber to approve most bills.
"I simply do not believe budget reconciliation should replace regular order in the Senate," Manchin said in an opinion piece in the Washington Post. "Senate Democrats must avoid the temptation to abandon our Republican colleagues on important national issues."
Democrats relied on the budget reconciliation process to avoid a possible Republican filibuster and pass Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill in March with a simple majority in the Senate. They have been considering doing the same with Biden's proposed infrastructure package.
"The filibuster is a critical tool to protecting that input and our democratic form of government. That is why I have said it before and will say it again to remove any shred of doubt: There is no circumstance in which I will vote to eliminate or weaken the filibuster,” Manchin said.
