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KILL THE FILIBUSTER

Senate Republicans Use Filibuster to Kill Bill That Would Ensure Women Are Paid as Much as Men

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Barely hours after Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell blasted President Joe Biden and declared “the era of bipartisanship is over” his Senate GOP caucus filibustered a bill that would have helped close the gender pay gap and ensure women are paid as much as men.

The Paycheck Fairness Act failed to pass a cloture vote, by a 49-50 margin. It passed the House in April, with a 217-210 vote along party lines.

60 votes were needed to end a filibuster and move the legislation on to debate, but Republicans wouldn’t even allow that.

The bill, as Axios notes, would “provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex.”

U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), who has been pummeled from the left for refusing to support killing the filibuster while insisting all legislation should be bipartisan and saying some of his “Republican friends” agree with him, issued a statement saying he was “disappointed.”

 

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KILL THE FILIBUSTER

Joe Manchin: ‘This Job’s Not Worth It to Me to Sell My Soul’

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2 years ago

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May 28, 2021

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U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) Friday afternoon after failing to help get at least 10 Republicans to join with Democrats to not filibuster a vote on a bill to create a bipartisan commission to investigate the January 6 insurrection, expressed frustration.

Manchin, who steadfastly supports the Jim Crow era filibuster tactic, told reporters, “This job’s not worth it to me to sell my soul.”

Manchin’s full remarks, which he made to Forbes’ Andrew Solender about Republicans voting to block the January 6 insurrection commission bill:

“This job’s not worth it to me to sell my soul. What are you gonna do, vote me out? That’s not a bad option, I get to go home.”

“If that’s what they wish. But I’m sure not going to sell my soul when I know what’s right. And this is right for us to start healing the country. You’ve got to get this commission.”

Manchin, who has also announced he will not support HR1/S1, the “For the People Act” to protect voting rights, has positioned himself as something of a powerbroker, given his conservative voting record (Senator Lisa Murkowski, Republican of Alaska, is ranked more liberal than Manchin.) He absolutely has refused to allow the filibuster (which was designed to block civil rights legislation from passing during the past 99 years, and especially used during the late middle 20th century,) to be killed.

The Nation’s Justice Correspondent Elie Mystal notes “if the filibuster didn’t exist, the 1/6 commission would have gotten 10-15 Republican votes.”

Manchin did criticize his Republican colleagues after the vote failed 54-35:

“Choosing to put politics and political elections above the health of our Democracy is unconscionable. And the betrayal of the oath we each take is something they will have to live with.”

 

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