Manchin firm on support for filibuster, mulls making it ‘a little bit more painful’ to use

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said Sunday that he was “not going to change my mind” on support for the filibuster but expressed openness to making it “a little bit more painful” to use.

“I’m not going to change my mind on the filibuster. I will change my mind if we need to go to a reconciliation to where we have to get something done once I know they have process into it,” Manchin said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“But I’m not going to go there until my Republican friends have the ability to have their say also,” Manchin said. “And I’m hoping they’ll get involved to the point to where we have 10 of them that’ll work with 50 of us or 15 of them that’ll work with 45 of us.”

WATCH: Sen. Manchin tells @chucktodd, “I’m not going to change my mind on the filibuster.” #MTP@Sen_JoeManchin: “I’ll change my mind if we need to go to a reconciliation … But I’m not going to go there until my Republican friends have the ability to have their say also.” pic.twitter.com/rzDnE18rTA

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) March 7, 2021

Asked by NBC’s Chuck Todd whether he would be open to allowing an exemption to the filibuster so election reform proposals backed by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) could pass with a simple majority, Manchin replied, “I’m not willing to go into reconciliation until we at least get bipartisanship or get working together or allow the Senate to do its job.”

During a separate appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” Manchin agreed that the process of the filibuster should be “more painful,” saying that “we’ve made it more comfortable over the years” compared with the original process, which required actually speaking at length.

The West Virginia senator used similar language on “Meet the Press,” saying, “If you want to make it a little bit more painful, make them stand there and talk. I’m willing to look at any way we can.”

“But I am not willing to take away the involvement of the minority,” he added. “I’ve been in the minority.”

Updated at 12:24 p.m.