While Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is a centrist Democrat who was more enthusiastic during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech this week than most of his colleagues, that didn’t stop the Vice President from going after the Democrat in his home state Wednesday — a move that didn’t sit well with Manchin.
During a speech touting tax reform in West Virginia Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence encouraged the crowd to let Manchin know “you expect better” and slighted him for voting with his own party.
“It’s not just the tax cut. Sen. Joe Manchin has voted ‘no’ time and again on the policies that West Virginia needs,” Pence said. “When the time came to repeal and replace the disaster of Obamacare, Joe voted ‘no.’ When we empowered West Virginia to defund Planned Parenthood, Joe voted ‘no.’ And when it comes to that wall that we’re gonna build on the southern border, Joe said, quote, ‘Well, I’m not voting for the wall either.’”
.@Sen_JoeManchin voted no to give working families more of your hard-earned money. Joe voted no on tax cuts. Joe voted no time and again on the policies that West Virginia needs. #JoeVotedNo pic.twitter.com/uV7SdAa2q8
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) January 31, 2018
The move signals the White House is planning to pull out all the stops to pounce on Manchin’s reelection campaign this year, despite the senator’s reputation of bipartisan work in Congress and willingness to work with Trump.
Manchin, in a tweet, said he was “shocked” by Pence’s comments and said that political moves like Pence’s are precisely “why Washington Sucks.”
I am shocked that after the @VP worked for almost a year in a divisive & partisan way to take healthcare away from almost 200k WVians, bankrupt our hospitals & push tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans & huge corporations that he would come to #WV & continue partisan attacks.
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) January 31, 2018
The VP’s comments are exactly why Washington Sucks. I’m disappointed in his comments but will continue to work to make Washington work so #WV & our country work.
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) January 31, 2018
