West Virginians are lucky to have a group of common-sense lawmakers representing their interests in Washington. U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, along with Rep. Alex Mooney, continue their efforts to ensure lawmakers in the nation’s capital not only don’t remake our government but also that nominees to federal posts who aren’t qualified are called out and that energy production remains viable in the state.
Manchin, D-W.Va., continues to stand in the national spotlight over his role in shaping legislation that goes through the evenly-split Senate. There are two important items on which we would urge Manchin to remain steadfast: first, keeping the filibuster intact, and second, making sure there is no change to the size of the U.S. Supreme Court.
President Joe Biden has created a commission to look at the high court and how it operates, with some Democrats urging him to use this as a first step toward an effort to “pack” the Supreme Court with new judges. Manchin needs to oppose that.
Biden, during his time as a U.S. senator, called packing the court a “bonehead idea.”
Manchin also is on record opposing an end to the filibuster, which is the right choice for the nation.
Capito said she would oppose the nomination of Vanita Gupta as Associate Attorney General, a position that would put Gupta third in charge of the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Whether it’s decriminalizing drugs, eliminating qualified immunity, rolling back the Second Amendment or defunding the police, Vanita Gupta has a long track record of promoting radical policies that do not align with West Virginia values,” Capito, R-W.Va., wrote.
“It’s important that our Justice Department operate free from bias. In order to do that, the individuals leading the department must separate their personal views and beliefs from their job. Ms. Gupta does neither.”
Capito is right to oppose Gupta. We would urge Manchin to join her.
Things are moving quickly with the new administration, and we urge Manchin, Capito and Mooney to continue allowing common-sense, West Virginia values to guide their decisions.