Manchin hits Cornyn over ‘disappointing’ flip on Senate filibuster
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Sen. Joe Manchin criticized Sen. John Cornyn for a recent reversal on the Senate filibuster,saying Cornyn’s flip-flop appears to be driven by extreme election-year politics and white House pressure as Republican colleagues faced pressure to change the rule. Cornyn has signaled support for scrapping the filibuster to pass the SAVE Act, a GOP-backed election-integrity measure pushed by Donald Trump. In Texas, Cornyn’s reelection bid has been complex by comments from his primary rival, Attorney General Ken Paxton, who said he might drop out if the Senate passed the SAVE Act-an unlikely prospect given the filibuster barrier that still requires 60 votes to advance legislation.
Manchin, known for his independence, argued that the filibuster preserves minority voices and forces consensus, lamenting that removing it would give the majority complete power. He cited Cornyn’s previous defense of the filibuster as evidence of the shift, attributing it to “extreme election-year politics.” Trump’s stance has intertwined with the issue, as he indicated he would withhold endorsement in the Texas race until the SAVE Act is passed. The piece frames the disagreement as part of a broader debate about party power and the functioning of the Senate.
Joe Manchin hits John Cornyn over ‘deeply disappointing’ flip-flop on Senate filibuster
Former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin condemned Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) on Thursday for his surprise reversal on the upper chamber’s filibuster rule.
Often described during his time in Congress as one of the upper chamber’s most independent minds, Manchin expressed sweeping concern that Cornyn recently flip-flopped on the long-standing Senate maneuver, which is designed to force a spirit of open debate and compromise. Manchin suggested Cornyn’s decision was due to “extreme election-year politics,” as the senator changed his position after Republican senators faced intense pressure to do so from the White House.
“It’s deeply disappointing to see that Senator Cornyn is now willing to scrap the very rule he once praised and personally thanked me for defending,” Manchin said in a statement.
Cornyn on Wednesday suggested he would support scrapping the filibuster rule after President Donald Trump called on senators to do so to pass the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility Act. In Texas, Cornyn faced another pressure point, as his GOP primary rival, state Attorney General Ken Paxton, said he would consider dropping out of the race, but only if the Senate passed the SAVE Act, a virtually impossible task, given the filibuster rule.
Trump’s decision to hold out on endorsement in the Texas Senate race has seemingly added another wrinkle to Cornyn’s reelection campaign. The president told NBC News, “I’m not doing anything until they get it done,” referring to his withholding of an endorsement until the SAVE Act is passed.
“These extreme election-year politics that put party power over everything else are why Americans are sick and tired of the duopoly of the two-party system of Democrats and Republicans,” Manchin wrote on Thursday.
Under the filibuster rule, legislation, including the SAVE Act on election integrity that Trump wants to pass, requires the support of 60 senators to advance. Otherwise, opposition members or lawmakers in the minority can continue to place a filibuster hold on bills.
Manchin noted that in days gone by, Cornyn had been a firm ally in the fight to defend the filibuster, saying he understood that eliminating it would give the party holding the majority “complete power.”
“The filibuster — the soul of the Senate — has preserved the Senate’s role for nearly 250 years as the institution that cools passions, protects minority voices, and demands consensus. America was built on institutions designed to resist political convenience, not surrender to it,” Manchin wrote, arguing that the rule “exists to make both sides work together and produce good legislation that can withstand the test of time.”
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When Cornyn was questioned on whether he changed his mind on the filibuster tactic to win Trump’s endorsement, he said, “That’s not true.”
“I think we’re through, go away,” the Texas senator told the NBC reporter who pressed him on the matter.
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