Topline

Democrats who support filibuster reform reacted with a mixture of dismay, optimism and outright criticism to Sen. Joe Manchin’s (D-W.Va.) latest vow to preserve the rule requiring most bills to get 60 votes, with one challenging him to prove that any “meaningful” bill can get 10 Republican votes.

Key Facts

Manchin said in an op-ed on Sunday he opposes H.R. 1, Democrats’ sweeping election reform bill, and alleged some Democrats “demonize the filibuster” and “conveniently ignore how it has been critical to protecting the rights of Democrats in the past.”

Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) both responded that they are “disappointed” in Manchin’s position on H.R. 1, which effectively dooms the bill.

But Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) took aim at Manchin’s support for restoration of the Voting Rights Act over H.R. 1, asking, “do we have 10 Republican votes to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act?”

Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) thinks not, tweeting that the House-passed VRA bill Manchin supports would get “no more than 51 votes” in the Senate, with Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) arguing Manchin’s position “obstructs” Democratic bills.

Schatz said any Democrat who “holds the filibuster up as some key element of maintaining democracy” has an obligation to produce 10 GOP votes for “something meaningful.”

Contra

Some Senate Democrats expressed hope Manchin could still be swayed: Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) told Forbes “we’re still moving forward,” while Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) said “we’ve got work to do.” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin told Forbes he plans to have a discussion with Manchin to figure out “what he’s thinking and see if there’s anything I can do.”

Surprising Fact

Manchin – who, unlike his fellow filibuster supporter Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), tends to revel in press attention – largely gave reporters the slip on Monday as he went in and out of the Senate chamber to vote. “They’re all my friends,” he said of his fellow Democrats when asked by one reporter about criticism from progressives. 

Big Number

54. That’s the number of senators who voted to advance a bill creating an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack last month, but, because it fell short of 60 votes, just 35 Republicans were able to block it. “Our rules are completely bananas… The filibuster must go,” tweeted Schatz, while Manchin reiterated his support for the filibuster.

What To Watch

June is set to be a month that demonstrates just how much of an obstacle the filibuster is to Democrats’ legislative priorities, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer planning votes on H.R. 1 and the Paycheck Fairness act, both of which are likely to be blocked by Republicans.

Chief Critic

“Bizarrely, it appears they’re being floated in order to illustrate that the bar is too high,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said of the bills Schumer is putting up for votes in June, suggesting they are “transparently designed to fail” as part of a “campaign to destroy the filibuster.”