It’s good to be the king, but it’s great to be the kingmaker.
Senator Joe Manchin, from West Virginia, became that kingmaker in the 50-50 Senate that took office in 2020 and has already witnessed the effects of his newfound power. On this week’s episode of the Drill Down podcast, Peter Schweizer and Eric Eggers revisit the massive infrastructure and budget bills that just passed the US House and explore how Joe Manchin played a big role in getting that done.
Manchin has made a name for himself as a moderate, conservative Democrat—something increasingly rare in Congress. When President Biden took office with several big spending proposals on the horizon, Manchin expressed his desire to keep spending levels down, to work with Republicans, and to be a team player in getting Biden’s agenda passed.
That’s a tall order with some conflicting goals.
Perhaps in the hope of helping Sen. Manchin see things as the White House does, President Biden appointed Manchin’s wife, Gayle, to the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) as federal co-chair. And, as it happens, the bipartisan infrastructure bill included an extra billion dollars for the Mrs. Manchin’s Commission. Manchin ended up supporting both the $1.2 trillion and $3.5 trillion bills despite maintaining some “reservations.”
Manchin has since softened his position on maintaining the filibuster, suggesting that the days of moderate Manchin may be numbered.
