Manchin won't commit to voting for an infrastructure bill without GOP support: 'I don't think that's fair'
CNN
Sen. Joe Manchin, a key Democratic swing vote, would not commit on Wednesday to backing an infrastructure package along straight party lines, rebuffing a demand made by liberals who want to ensure he will be on board with a broader bill passed without Republican support if they support his bipartisan proposal.
"It should not be conditional," Manchin told CNN. "It should be based on the merit of what the bill is." The West Virginia Democrat did not rule out supporting a bill passed with only Democratic votes, but argued that asking him to commit to backing legislation advanced through reconciliation -- a procedural tool that would allow Democrats to pass a bill with a simple majority -- now is not fair.President Joe Biden on Sunday delivers his first commencement address of the 2024 season at Morehouse College, where the president may for the first time in months have to confront the angst that’s been percolating on college campuses nationwide toward his administration’s policies on the Israel-Hamas war.
Arab and Palestinian Americans left a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday night frustrated they did not have a clear understanding of how the Biden administration might act upon their concerns as the Israel-Hamas war devastates the civilian population in Gaza, participants told CNN.