Staff Reports
Joe Biden’s radical agenda has encountered a formidable obstacle in the form of two senators on their way out of the Senate: Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. With their exit looming, these two political mavericks have decided to leave parting gifts for the Biden administration—and these gifts come wrapped in a big, fat “NO.”
Manchin and Sinema have spent years playing the role of the Senate’s speed bumps, effectively halting the most outlandish parts of Biden’s plans, including the disastrous $2 trillion “Build Back Better.” Talk about a thankless job, yet they seemed to enjoy giving the administration a procedural wedgie whenever it tried to push through its radical initiatives. Facing the prospect of a losing re-election campaign due to Trump’s strong presence in West Virginia and a rising Democratic challenger in Sinema’s Arizona, it makes perfect sense that they would exit stage left while still maintaining their reputations as reluctant party rebels.
Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin Leave Joe Biden One Last Parting Gift, and Democrats Are Livid https://t.co/l8k1IAIjRB
Well, payback is rarely kind, and Sinema and Manchin just delivered a well-deserved helping of it. Voters rejected the Democratic Party labor agenda in…— ZeroDEIUSA (@zeroDEIUSA) December 12, 2024
In their latest act of defiance, they have opted to block the renomination of Lauren McFerran, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Chairwoman, essentially handing a golden ticket to Donald Trump to appoint his own candidate. This unforeseen twist leaves the Republicans with the potential to seize control of the NLRB, further embedding their influence on labor policy, a situation sure to send shockwaves through Democratic circles.
Democrats, naturally, are less than pleased with this turn of events. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, ever the dramatist, has donned his best “concerned uncle” face, lamenting that this decision is a direct attack on working families. What’s a little backroom deal-making without a dose of good old-fashioned guilt-tripping? Schumer’s antics really make one wonder: if you care so much about working families, shouldn’t you also care about the businesses that provide jobs in the first place?
Business groups have quickly rallied against McFerran, shedding light on her questionable record while heading the NLRB. Accusations of favoritism towards organized labor over the interests of small business paint quite a picture of how her tenure has adversely affected the business landscape. It’s a classic case of regulatory overreach, one that’s only going to escalate if unelected bureaucrats have their way—unless Manchin and Sinema can keep their courage intact against heavy pressure from their colleagues.
In the latest Senate showdown, Schumer’s gambit to tilt the scales in favor of McFerran ended in a resounding defeat. His attempts at political theater fell flat when Manchin and Sinema put their foot down, refusing to be swayed by party pressure or shame tactics. With a nearly flawless Republican attendance record and only one dissident in the ranks, the Democrats’ hopes for McFerran’s renomination were dashed—proving once again that in the unpredictable game of Senate politics, it pays to have a few wild cards like Manchin and Sinema still in play.
