Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he is “shocked” and “disappointed” by Vice President Mike Pence after he attacked Manchin on Twitter for voting against a number of Republican policies.
“I am shocked that after the Vice President worked for almost a year in a divisive and partisan way to take healthcare away from almost 200,000 West Virginians, bankrupt our hospitals and push tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and huge corporations that he would come to West Virginia and continue his partisan attacks,” Manchin said in a statement Wednesday evening.
Pence traveled Wednesday to West Virginia, where Manchin is up for re-election this year, to deliver remarks during a visit to Worldwide Equipment, Inc., and address Republican lawmakers at their annual policy retreat.
“@Sen_JoeManchin is going to keep voting against West Virginia & I think Chuck Schumer & Nancy Pelosi are pretty happy w/ the way he votes,” Pence tweeted earlier in the afternoon, referring to the Democratic leaders in both chambers of Congress. “But WV needs to let him know that they EXPECT BETTER & they need to let Joe know that WEST VIRGINIA DESERVES BETTER. #Joevotedno.”
He also condemned Manchin during his first speech Wednesday for his votes against tax reform, among other issues. “When it came to cutting your taxes, Joe voted no,” Pence told the audience at Worldwide Equipment, Inc.
Manchin disagreed with the assessment, defending his willingness to be bipartisan in his efforts to end the three-day shutdown earlier this month.
“Last week, I worked in a bipartisan way with Senator [Susan] Collins to end the shutdown, and last night President Trump called for unity and bipartisanship,” he added, noting President Trump’s State of the Union address. “The Vice President’s comments are exactly why Washington Sucks. I’m disappointed in his comments but will continue to work to make Washington work so West Virginia and our country work.”
Several journalists noted on Twitter that Manchin, a moderate Democrat, stood at times during the State of the Union to applaud Trump where his Democratic colleagues chose to stay seated and in some cases gave him dirty looks.
Joe Manchin stands and applauds for the “Motor City revving again.” Debbie Stabenow looks up at him and says “what does that even mean?” Patty Murray, seated next to her: “I don’t know.”
Manchin keeps clapping.
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 31, 2018
It’s absolutely hysterical to watch Joe Manchin applaud on Trump’s various economy lines & Schumer look down the aisle and shoosh him.
this has happened twice now
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) January 31, 2018
