Legislation

Senator Manchin Votes with President Trump. Click here to learn more.  

  • Since 2011, no Democrat currently serving in the Senate has split with the party more often, including 80 votes in which Senator Manchin was the only Democrat to break with his party and vote with the majority of Senate Republicans.
  • Overall, Senator Manchin has voted with the majority of Senate Republicans on 1,172 different votes or 54% of the votes he has taken as a United States Senator.
  • Since President Trump was inaugurated, no Senator (Democrat or Republican) has split with their party more often than Senator Manchin, including 23 votes in which he was the only Democrat to vote with the Republicans on issues such as:
    • Immigration – Senator Manchin strongly supported President Trump’s immigration proposal and was the only Democrat to oppose a separate bipartisan proposal that provided zero funding for border security;
    • Increasing Domestic Energy Production – On two separate occasions, Senator Manchin cast the lone Democratic vote to support opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for drilling;
    • Confirming Trump Nominees – No Democratic Senator has voted to confirm more Trump nominees (115) than Senator Manchin. Senator Manchin voted to confirm his nominee to serve on the Supreme Court, Justice Neil Gorsuch. On nine occasions, Senator Manchin was the only Democrat to vote to confirm Trump nominees, including two cabinet Secretaries, three circuit court judges, and various other nominees.
  • Senator Manchin has voted with the Trump Administration 74% of the time[1] and shares many of the President’s priorities when it comes to promoting fair trade, repealing Obama-era regulations, and protecting our national security:
    • Promoting Fair Trade – Senator Manchin voted against the U.S. – Korea Free Trade Agreement, the U.S. – Panama Trade Promotion Agreement, and the U.S. – Columbia Trade Promotion Agreement in 2011. Senator Manchin also voted against the Trade Act of 2015 and the Trade Promotion Authority the Obama Administration used to try to negotiate other trade deals.
    • Repealing Obama-era Regulations – In 2011, Senator Manchin voted against the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to expand their regulatory jurisdiction over air quality. In 2012, he repeatedly supported a legislative stay on the EPA’s Maximum Achievable Control Technology standards. In 2013, he voted against Obama’s nominee to run the EPA, Gina McCarthy. In 2015, Senator Manchin was one of the few Democrats to support the Keystone XL pipeline. In 2016, he opposed the Waters of the United States rule. In 2017, Senator Manchin helped lead the effort to repeal the duplicative and unnecessary Stream Protection Rule.
    • Protecting our National Security – Senator Manchin opposed the Iran Deal in 2015 and has repeatedly voted to stop Sanctuary Cities and ensure that our federal laws are enforced consistently throughout the country.
  • While there are clearly many issues on which Senator Manchin and President Trump agree, there are also important differences on issues like protecting access to healthcare, defending American workers, and standing up for middle class families:
    • Protecting Access to Healthcare – Senator Manchin voted against repeated attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a viable replacement and opposed the nomination of Dr. Tom Price to serve as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
    • Defending American Workers – Senator Manchin opposed the Trump Administration’s efforts to repeal the Fair Pay Rule and limit workplace safety reporting rules. Senator Manchin also opposed the nomination of David Zatezalo to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health because his qualifications and record of safety during his time in the coal industry were not consistent with the strong leadership that important agency needs today.
    • Standing Up for Middle Class Families – Senator Manchin opposed the Republican tax plan because it did not do enough for middle class families. He also opposed the Trump Administration’s efforts to allow big banks to force customers into arbitration agreements without their consent.  
  • A commonly cited statistic from the website FiveThirtyEight.com lists Senator Manchin as having a 60.5% voting record with the Trump Administration[2].

[1] Percentage based on the votes CQ reports as having an official Administration position. The full list of included votes is available here - http://dpcvotes.senate.gov/votewatch/index.php?p=vw_std_rep

[2] Percentage based on the Trump Score from FiveThirtyEight.com. For a full description of how this was calculated, visit - https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/introducing-the-trump-score/

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