Democratic Sen.Joe Manchin of W.Va. is opposing key points of his party’s agenda as he faces pressure from billionaire Charles Koch’s political advocacy group. While Republicans oppose the Democrat’s legislation about voting rights known as “For the People Act,” and the proposed filibuster reform, branding the bills as ambitious and unpopular partisan ploys, Joe Manchin despite being a Democratic Senator plans to side with the Republican Senators.
The political network Koch has is only one of many other groups that has arranged outside efforts just for the sake of countering bills put forward by the Democratic Party. Apparently, the lobbying effort of the Koch’s advocacy group is hitting the nail on the head for the GOP, since Manchin’s decision is not to vote in favor of the two important bills.
In exasperation, President Biden has described the Republicans’ proposed voting restrictions as “un-American” and even “sick. The POTUS on the other hand, praised the “For the People Act, while verbally agreeing that the filibuster must indeed be modified.
Americans for Prosperity Foundation Advocacy Group
The Koch brothers’ main political advocacy group is the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, which even introduced a website called West Virginia Values. The group has been encouraging the people of West Virginia to email Joe Manchin to reject Washington’s partisan agenda and to be “The Voice West Virginia Needs In DC”
The website carries the same list of items that the W.VA senator has vowed to oppose his party; among them includes packing the Supreme Court, the For the People Act, the filibuster’s elimination, the POTUS’ infrastructure plan and the union-friendly PRO Act.