Sen. Manchin proposes changes to Democrats’ voting bill – By Brian Slodysko, Christina A. Cassidy and Alexandra Jaffe (AP News) / June 16 2021
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Joe Manchin is proposing an extensive list of changes to his party’s sweeping elections and voting bill, raising hopes among Democrats that they could unite behind the legislation even if the measure is nearly certain to be blocked by Republicans in a showdown Senate vote next week.
Manchin, a West Virginia moderate, said he’s now open to supporting a bill if it’s revised, despite declaring earlier this month that the measure was the “wrong piece of legislation to bring our country together.”
He released a proposed list of changes ahead of a meeting of Senate Democrats Thursday to discuss the path forward. That meeting was called by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is vowing to hold a vote on the bill in June no matter what, saying “we have to get it done.”
“People were assuming that I was against (the bill) because there were no Republicans supporting it. It’s not the case at all,” Manchin told reporters at the Capitol.
