Sen. Joe Manchin on Tuesday remained a holdout against endorsing a healthcare proposal presented by Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, saying that he does not see it as a way to benefit his state's residents.
"If there was something that I thought was better that gave me a pathway to really get West Virginians healthier and take care of what their needs are right now, I would be looking at it any way possible and I have done that," the moderate West Virginia Democrat told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program.
"I just don't see that pathway with the Graham-Cassidy bill. I see a pathway under the bill that we have before us, the Affordable Care Act if we rework that bill."
He insisted that Democrats are willing to work with Republicans, but it must be a give-and-take proposition.
"You can't give carte blanche to 20 million people," said Manchin. "You can't take the most sickly people in your state or in your country and say we are going to book them with everyone else that's healthier and have a rate that you can afford. Alaska has done a good job. There are models that work."
Also on the program, Manchin noted that he will be talking to former presidential candidate Jon Huntsman on his nomination as the next ambassador to Russia, and that he will be voting to approve him.
"It's also my pleasure to introduce him to my colleagues today when his confirmation comes up," said Manchin, noting that he has developed a special relationship with Huntsman dating back to 2004, when they were both elected as governors of their respective states.
"We have been best friends ever since," Manchin said of the former Utah governor. "The bottom line with Jon Huntsman is this: you are not going to find a more consummate professional. The person who is everything about patriotism for our country. And to have the super diplomacy, diplomatic skills. I have said, this being a superpower is more than having super military might. You have to have super-duper diplomatic skills. Jon is the best of the best. "
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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