On Wednesday, Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.VA) emphatically denied rumors that he plans to leave the Democratic Party.
Manchin, a fiscal moderate, is at odds with party leadership after opposing multiple spending bills introduced by Democrats, including the recent infrastructure bill.
Rumors of Manchin exiting the party stem from a report published in Mother Jones. That article suggested that Manchin is currently thinking about his exit plan for departing the Democratic Party.
Rebuffing the report, Manchin told reporters on Wednesday, “I have no control of rumors.”
According to the report in Mother Jones, Senator Manchin intends to leave the party if the Biden Administration and party leaders continue moving forward with a $3.5 trillion infrastructure bill.
The report noted Manchin had a two-step plan to exit. First, stepping down from Senator Schumer’s leadership team, and then changing his voter registration to become an Independent.
It was noted in the report that under West Virginia election law, being registered as an Independent would allow Manchin to vote in the Democratic primary.
The Senator has not declared whether he will run for a fourth term in 2024.
In July, Manchin told Fox News that he “never considered” switching political parties, and that he is focusing on policies that impact his state and nation, rather than his party.
“If switching a party or whether you have a ‘D’ by your name or an ‘R’ by your name changes who you are as a person, then you’re in the wrong profession and it’s all about you and not about the oath you take to the office, the oath to the Constitution, to protect and defend,” he stated at the time.
Manchin’s efforts to rein in his party’s spending bills seems to be having an impact. Recently, the Biden Administration signaled they would reduce their spending package request by $1.5 trillion to about $2 trillion.
The Hill reports that Manchin is committed to negotiating with Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT), noting that the two could meet this week to draft a framework for a budget reconciliation package.
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