Dems have been trying their best to end the filibuster in the Senate. It is one of the few tools the minority party in the Senate has to stop the majority from just passing whatever they want. So Dems have talked about getting rid of it more than once, but one Dem, in particular, has been very outspoken in their defense of the filibuster, Senator Manchin. But now Manchin’s scruples are being put to the test. Dems are practically paying off Manchin by appointing his wife to a cushy job that pays $163k a year.
“In an example of apparent palm-greasing, unusual even by Washington standards, President Joe Biden has just appointed Gayle Conelly Manchin to be federal co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission, the entity responsible for economic development and investment in its 13-state catchment area.
Her salary would be $163,000 a year, among the highest in the federal government. It would be only slightly less than the $174,000 her husband—and the Democratic Senator from West Virginia—Joe Manchin earns.
Her nomination is subject to Senate confirmation, but, as a matter of senatorial courtesy—and because of the rubber-stamp Democratic Senate majority—her approval is likely.
Sen. Manchin, of course, has emerged as the key player in Senate deliberations over whether or not to pass the aggressive package of radical legislation that President Biden has laid before the Congress.
The passage of President Biden’s and Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s bill to impose voting regulations. which would lead to weaker election security or the bill to borrow another $4 trillion for domestic spending, largely hinges on how Sen. Manchin votes on the filibuster.”
That’s quite a bit of money and could amount to millions depending on how long she was able to keep the job. But at what cost. Is the Senate about to lose the filibuster simply because Manchin’s family is getting a payday? He was appointed to serve the people, not himself. So now we get to see if Senator Manchin can be bought and paid for.