February 16, 2017

Manchin Votes Against Office of Management & Budget Director Nominee Mick Mulvaney

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) today issued a statement on his vote against the Director of the Office of Management and Budget nominee, Rep. Mick Mulvaney.

“As a former Governor, I understand how crucial it is for an executive leader to have his team in place, but as a Senator it is my job to evaluate a nominee’s qualifications and determine if their vision aligns with the principles I have set forth in my years of work on behalf of West Virginians. After meeting with Rep. Mick Mulvaney, reviewing his experience and watching his hearing, I could not vote for him to be our next Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

“As a member of the South Carolina state senate he voted to declare Social Security and Medicare unconstitutional and he has compared Social Security to a “Ponzi scheme.” Instead of committing to fixing Medicare, he has committed to ending Medicare as we know it. To seniors in West Virginia, Social Security and Medicare are promises made by a thankful nation to ensure a quality of life well-earned from years of hard work and sacrifice. I am concerned that Rep. Mulvaney does not value the critical role that Social Security and Medicare play in the lives of so many West Virginians and as a result he is unqualified to play such a pivotal role in crafting our federal budget.”

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