Manchin Backs Filibuster, But Says ‘It Should Be Painful’ to Use

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, ask questions of Rep. Debra Haaland, D-NM, President Joe Biden's nominee for Secretary of the Interior, during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,at the US Capitol in Washington on Feb. 24, 2021. Leigh Vogel/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who holds a pivotal vote in the closely split Senate as a moderate Democrat, on Sunday said that he still backs the procedural maneuver called the filibuster, but believes it “should be painful” to use.

Some Democrats have proposed eliminating the filibuster to prevent Republicans from blocking President Joe Biden’s initiatives. White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield said Sunday that Biden is not calling for an end to the filibuster.