Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., ripped Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for bashing Republicans after the Senate passed a bill to raise the nation’s debt ceiling through early December.
Schumer had made his comments in a speech on the Senate floor Thursday.
“Republicans played a dangerous and risky partisan game, and I am glad that their brinksmanship did not work,” Schumer said, according to multiple news outlets.
“For the good of America’s families, for the good of our economy, Republicans must recognize in the future that they should approach fixing the debt limit in a bipartisan way,” The Washington Post quoted Schumer.
“The solution is for Republicans to either join us in raising the debt limit, or stay out of the way and let Democrats address the debt limit ourselves,” Schumer said. “Those are the two choices. And it’s very simple.
“(Senate Minority) Leader (Mitch) McConnell and Senate Republicans insisted they wanted a solution to the debt ceiling — but said Democrats must raise it alone by going through a drawn out, convoluted, and risky reconciliation process,” Schumer added, according to the New York Post.
At one point, Manchin, who was sitting in back of Schumer, could be seen covering his face with his hands as Schumer spoke, according to the New York Post.
And as he left the Capitol, Manchin told CNN’s Manu Raju he believed Schumer’s speech was not appropriate.
Raju tweeted: “Manchin tells us he didn’t like Schumer’s speech after the vote to break a filibuster on the debt ceiling. ‘I didn’t think it was appropriate at this time,’ he said, arguing that ‘we need to de-weaponize’ and stop ‘playing politics … That was not a way to take (frustration) out.'”
During his brief interview with CNN, Manchin noted, “Civility is gone.”
