President Biden Appoints Wife of Key Senate Democrat to Administration
President Joe Biden recently announced his plans to nominate moderate West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin’s wife to an administration position.
“President Biden is nominating Gayle Manchin, Sen. Joe Manchin’s wife, to be what it calls a ‘key member’ of his administration,” Politico reporter Daniel Lippman tweeted on Friday.
Biden nominated Gayle Manchin for a role as “co-chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission,” a region that includes West Virginia.
“The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is an economic development partnership agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 420 counties across the Appalachian Region,” according to its website.
Senator Manchin holds tremendous power in the U.S. Senate due to his moderate to conservative leanings on some issues. The Democrats have only 50 seats, so a Manchin defection on any legislation could derail it.
The appointment of spouses of Senators is not new of course -- President Trump selected Elaine Chao, the wife of Senator Mitch McConnell to be his Secretary of Transportation.
Many liberal politicians have expressed frustration at the influence Senator Manchin has. He recently said he would vote against gun control legislation.
AOC began feuding with Manchin even before the new Congress started. Even before the two Georgia run-off elections, Manchin was seen as a swing vote.
Manchin had made a reference to AOC’s penchant for Twitter activism.
“I don’t know the young lady — I really don’t. I never met her. I’m understanding she’s not that active with her bills or in committee. She’s more active on Twitter than anything else,” Manchin said, according to reporting from the Washington Examiner based on comments made to the NY Times.
Do you see any problems with Biden giving an administration role to a Senator’s wife? Should Senator Manchin urge his wife to reject the appointment? Let us know!