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Manchin Might Vote for Trump Immigration Plan

Sen. Joe Manchin / Getty Images
Sen. Joe Manchin / Getty Images
February 14, 2018

Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) told reporters Wednesday that he could see himself supporting President Donald Trump's four-pillar immigration plan, which is slated to be considered in bill form on the Senate floor.

Manchin said that, based on "everything I've seen" of the Republican bill, he could see himself voting for it, Politico reports.

The bill, the Secure and Succeed Act of 2018, was authored by a group of seven Republican senators to mirror the White House's immigration priorities: amnesty for 1.8 million immigrants who arrived to the country as minors, $25 billion for border security, and an end to the diversity visa lottery and extended family chain migration. Trump backed the proposal on Wednesday.

The bill also has the backing of Republican leaders such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.), meaning it is likely to garner significant Republican report if it comes to the floor. But, even if all 51 Republicans back the measure, that won't be enough to clear the 60 vote threshold required to pass the bill in the Senate.

That means that Manchin's vote represents a free vote of support to Trump for the sole-remaining Democrat in his state's congressional delegation. Manchin is generally perceived as one of the weakest incumbent Democrats facing reelection in November, as Trump carried his state by some 42 percentage points.

Manchin does, however, appear to be banking on a more bipartisan solution—his comment on the Trump framework came as he was leaving a meeting of senators from both parties, working towards a compromise that might be able to get to 60 votes.

Endangered Democrats from other pro-Trump states have been less open to supporting the Trump plan. Sen. Jon Tester (D., Mt.) said Tuesday that he explicitly opposes the White House framework, while Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.) has thus far refused to publicly comment on the issue.