Joe Manchin Tells Democrats ‘No’ One Last Time

Having chosen not to run for reelection this year, Sen. Joe Manchin won’t be around on Capitol Hill much longer, but today he gave Democrats one last “No” to remember him.

Democrats led by Chuck Schumer were pushing to extend their control of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by nominating Lauren McFerran to another five year term. If it had worked, this would have ensured the incoming Trump administration was stuck with a Democrat-controlled NLRB through 2026. Sadly, Manchin and fellow outcast Senator Kyrsten Sinema foiled their plan.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer filed cloture Monday on the nominations of McFerran, a Democrat, to remain for another five-year term on the National Labor Relations Board. McFerran is the current chair of the NLRB whose term is set to expire later this month. Her confirmation to another term would have maintained a Democratic majority on the board, in a move that would have marked a key victory for Democrats heading into a second Trump administration and a Republican trifecta in Washington.

In a 50 to 49 vote, Senate Republicans, joined by independent Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, blocked the nomination from advancing. Without the confirmation, the board is expected to swing to come under Republican control, with a vacancy for President-elect Donald Trump and the incoming GOP-controlled Senate to fill in the new year.

That’s what happened but it’s better when you get the story as it played out today. This was a big miscalculation by Schumer and the left.

Schumer was under pressure from progressives to use valuable floor time to force a vote. But he never received firm assurances from either Manchin or Sinema how they would ultimately vote.

With Manchin apparently off-campus, Sinema was the first of the two to vote “No.”

That left the vote tied at 49-49, with the possibility that Vice President Harris could break the tie, but then word began to circulate that Manchin was en route back to the Capitol.

The vote was left open for more than an hour until Manchin returned and voted no, making the vote 50-49. This was not only foreseeable it was forseen. Axios published a story two days ago saying Schumer hadn’t gotten any commitments from Sinema or Manchin. He gambled and lost because he was being pushed by Bernie Sanders.

Senate Democrats and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders —have privately pressed Schumer to ensure a Democratic majority until August 2026, when vacancies will give Republicans a shot to have their own 3-2 advantage.

So Schumer’s the public face of this but it’s really Sen. Sanders and the others on the left who face-planted here. Meanwhile, Sen. Thune praised the outcome.

🚨Senate Republicans defeated Lauren McFerran’s nomination for a 5-year term on the @NLRB. An excellent step against Schumer’s attempt to push through radical nominations at the 11th hour, which will allow President Trump to solidify a Republican majority on the board.

— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) December 11, 2024

Naturally, Sen. Schumer was not pleased.

SCHUMER STATEMENT on vote that failed for Biden NLRB nominee (after retiring Independents Manchin and Sinema voted NO):

“It is deeply disappointing, a direct attack on working people, and incredibly troubling that this highly qualified nominee … did not have the votes.”

— Nathaniel Reed (@ReedReports) December 11, 2024

“Anti-Zionist” meathead Hasan Piker wants an investigation.

both of these people shouldve been immediately investigated by every regulatory agency for obvious conflicts of interest. i’ve been screaming about this for years at this point. https://t.co/ydPEnxfCH0

— hasanabi (@hasanthehun) December 11, 2024

There’s lots of left-wing whining happening.

The corporate wing of the Democratic Party once again reminds us they don’t serve workers or the working class—only the corporations picking the pockets of everyday people.

Rebuilding this Party starts with retiring every member giving billionaires control over workers’ futures. https://t.co/teXPqc9zy6

— Justice Democrats (@justicedems) December 11, 2024

I’ve seen at least half a dozen reactions suggesting the fix for this problem is “Luigi” referring to the accused murderer in New York. One person wrote “We can only hope they’re next!” So it’s fair to say the left is not coping well with not being able to retain control of government after a big election loss.