Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin — who foiled Democrats’ efforts to pass a voting-rights overhaul by a simple majority — shared a high-five on the stage in Davos as they reaffirmed their opposition to overturning the Senate’s filibuster rule.
“We still don’t agree on getting rid of the filibuster, correct?” Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, asked Sinema. “That’s correct,” she said, initiating the high-five during an event at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Switzerland.
Sinema, who recently become an independent but still aligns with Democrats in the Senate, has accused her former party of overreaching to achieve short-term goals by trying to nix the filibuster. The rule allows a minority to thwart most legislation bill unless the majority can muster 60 votes.
“Joe and I were not interested in sacrificing that important guardrail,” she said. “That massive voting-rights bill was not passed through Congress, and then we had a free and fair election all across the country.”
Sinema also suggested the duo’s actions led to a series of accomplishments.
“That was the basis for the productivity, for some incredible achievements that made a difference for the American people in the last two years,” Sinema said.
The Arizona independent lamented that Republican Kevin McCarthy, a “dear friend,” had to give concessions to right-wing partisans to win the House speakership and worried it will make dealing with the debt limit very difficult later this year.
Sinema also touted her efforts to pass a bipartisan immigration overhaul this year, noting she helped lead a recent trip to the border with Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas.
Both Sinema and Manchin would face voters next year if they decide to run for reelection.
