Former Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) said Sunday it was time to “stand up” against Senate Republicans seeking to abolish the filibuster.
The filibuster is a practice unique to the Senate and has a history of more than 200 years. The rules allow debate to continue and end until 60 votes are collected, a high threshold when either party controls 60 seats.
“I’ve always been independent. But now, stand up. Now you need at least 10 or at least five Democrats to sign a pledge that we will never, in any way, in any shape, vote to overturn [of the filibuster]”, Manchin said in an interview on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.”
Manchin said eliminating the filibuster would “kill the soul of the Senate,” weaken the government’s global reputation and turn the upper chamber into a “capricious House of Glory” that is replaced every two years.
The former West Virginia senator argued that the filibuster “protects” the minority party from passing bills without bipartisanship.
“It gives the minority an opportunity to participate. It’s the minority voice that makes us the most thoughtful and unusual institution in the world because when we pass legislation, Chris, it’s hard. It’s even harder to get out of it,” Manchin told host Chris Stillwalt.
“So, the bottom line is we have stability. We have predictability in the world,” he added.
In recent weeks, senators have reconsidered the usefulness of the filibuster as Republican lawmakers work to pass the Securing American Voters Eligibility (Save America) Act before the midterm elections.
House Republicans urged upper chamber lawmakers to use a “verbal filibuster” to get the bill passed. The measure would require Democrats to personally fight to stop passage of the Save America Act.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports and streaming video, head to The Hill.
