West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said he is excited to have President Donald Trump visit his state, and looks forward to working with Republicans to pass tax reform and confront the opioid crisis.
“The President is coming to West Virginia, and I’m excited he is,” Manchin said in a statement Thursday leading up to Trump’s appearance in Huntington, W.V., for a Make America Great Again rally later Thursday.
The rally will also feature a big announcement, as Trump teased earlier Thursday morning: The Democratic Gov. Jim Justice will appear on stage with Trump and announce that he’s switching parties to become a Republican, the New York Times reports.
Manchin is one of the few congressional Democrats to speak positively of Trump in Washington, D.C. “I know some Democrats, especially those in Washington, D.C., would not want the President to visit their state,” Manchin said. (RELATED: Manchin Hammers Obama’s Failed Policies, Praises Trump For Getting Things Done [VIDEO])
Manchin said he is particularly excited to work with Trump on tax reform, as the current tax code is “too complicated, burdensome, and hinders our economic development.”
“There is an opportunity for the President and me to work together, because factions in both of our parties have already started to blame each other if tax reform fails,” Manchin said.
The legislative process will be difficult, as Democrats are loath to cut spending on domestic programs and Republicans balk at cutting defense spending, but Manchin said “we can’t continue to pile on debt for our grandchildren and future generations. If we work together and reject Washington partisanship, I think we can get that done.”
The lack of legislative success in repealing Obamacare this year has left little time to tackle other Trump priorities like tax reform and infrastructure. Republican leaders sought to pass Obamacare repeal and replacement plans using only Republican votes, which failed when some GOP members refused to back the measure. Manchin hopes Trump “will reject this flawed approach” when it comes to Tax reform.
“So let’s reject partisanship, look for a solution in the middle, and lower taxes for our constituents and businesses, so we can get the economy growing, give working people a break, and put Americans everywhere back to work. Then we can move on to infrastructure, and I’ll be first in line to help there too. Our job is to fix things, not fight, and I’m excited to work with the President to do just that,” Manchin said.
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