Manchin in new book: Schumer wanted 'spectacle' with push to end filibuster

Former Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) slammed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) in a forthcoming book, calling his 2022 push to abolish the filibuster a "spectacle."

The book, titled "Dead Center: In Defense of Common Sense," will be released Tuesday. An advance copy was obtained by Punchbowl News.

“Schumer wasn’t interested in debate or persuasion,” wrote Manchin, who switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Independent in May of 2024 and retired from the Senate in January, according to the excerpt. “He wanted a spectacle. He wanted a vote he could weaponize, a moment he could broadcast to the radical left to prove his loyalty." 

“This wasn’t about governing or principle. It was about power.”

The Hill has reached out to Schumer's office for comment.

In January 2022, Schumer, then the Senate majority leader, pushed for the chamber to abolish the practice, which senators have utilized since 1837. The move was voted down by a 52-48 tally, with Manchin and former Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema — who switched her affiliation from Democratic to Independent later that year — joining with all 50 Republicans.

Schumer, backed by former President Biden, sought to get rid of the filibuster in order to pass voting legislation. 

Senate rules allow for a member to speak on any topic they wish, for as long they wish, in order to “delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question.”

In 1917, the Senate voted to require a two-thirds majority to end a filibuster. In 1975, that threshold was reduced to a three-fifths majority.  

Manchin has consistently defended the filibuster. In August of last year, the West Virginia senator refused to endorse former Vice President Kamala Harris for president over the latter’s pledge to eliminate the filibuster in order to pass a law codifying the federal right to an abortion.

“She knows the filibuster is the Holy Grail of democracy,” Manchin told CNN at the time. “It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together. If she gets rid of that, then this would be the House on steroids.”

In his book, Manchin also says he wanted Republicans to retake control of the Senate in the 2024 election due to their support for the filibuster, calling it “the only hope for preserving the Senate as an institution,” according to Punchbowl. 

At the start of the year, current Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) vowed to “preserve” the filibuster in the Senate.