U.S. Chamber backs Manchin, Sinema with campaign contributions
15/04/2021 06:00
By David Lawder
WASHINGTON, April 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Chamber of
Commerce said it is backing Democratic senators Joe Manchin and
Kyrsten Sinema with campaign contributions, rewarding them for
their opposition to some of President Joe Biden's legislative
initiatives and for trying to work with Republicans.
In disclosures made public on Thursday, the Chamber said its
political action committee during the first quarter made about
$17,000 worth of contributions to the two senators and nine
house members. These included Carlos Gimenez of Florida and
Steve Chabot of Ohio, two Republican congressmen who voted
against certifying the 2020 presidential election results after
attacks on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former president
Donald Trump.
After the U.S. Capitol incident, the largest U.S. business
lobbying group said it would evaluate members on the "totality"
of their actions, including working in a bipartisan manner.
"The U.S. Chamber supports elected officials based on their
position on issues important to the business community and their
commitment to governing," a Chamber spokesperson said. "This
quarter we were pleased to support Republicans and Democrat
members who have demonstrated a willingness to do the hard work
of coming together and finding solutions to the problems facing
our country."
Manchin and Sinema are opposed to ending the Senate's
filibuster https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-filibuster-explainer/what-is-the-u-s-senate-filibuster-and-why-is-everyone-talking-about-it-idUSKBN2B921T,
a custom that requires a 60-vote majority to advance most
legislation. The Chamber also has called for preserving the
filibuster to require Democrats, who control a single-vote
Senate majority, to seek support from Republicans on major
non-budgetary initiatives.
The Chamber also supported two Republican House members who
voted in favor of impeaching Trump in January, Anthony Gonzalez
of Ohio and freshman Peter Meijer of Michigan. Both are facing
primary challenges for 2022 elections.
The Chamber also said it made contributions to pro-trade
Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar and Republican House
members Dan Crenshaw, Don Bacon, and freshmen Nancy Mace and
Young Kim.
(Reporting by David Lawder. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
((David.Lawder@tr.com; +1 202 354 5854; Reuters Messaging:
david.lawder.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))