Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin announced Wednesday that he will oppose the nomination of Daniel Werfel to serve as Internal Revenue Service Commissioner.
“At every turn, this Administration has ignored Congressional intent when implementing the Inflation Reduction Act. First and foremost, the IRA is an energy security bill with clear and direct guidelines to ensure we are able to onshore our supply and manufacturing chains. But instead of adhering to Congressional intent and prioritizing our nation’s energy and national security, the Treasury Department has pandered to automakers and progressive extremist groups and continued to sacrifice the national security of the United States of America. While Daniel Werfel is supremely qualified to serve as the IRS Commissioner, I have zero faith he will be given the autonomy to perform the job in accordance with the law and for that reason, I cannot support his nomination,” Manchin said in a statement.
The Senate Finance Committee advanced the nomination of Werfel, who served as Acting IRS Commissioner during the Obama administration, on March 2. Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana voted with all 15 committee Democrats in support of his nomination.
My statement on my decision to vote against Daniel Werfel for Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (@IRSnews) ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ptl0POuQun
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) March 8, 2023
With Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania away from Congress due to health issues, Democrats can only afford to lose one more vote. Otherwise, they can delay the final confirmation vote. Neither senator has yet outlined a timetable for returning, although Feinstein was discharged from a San Francisco hospital Tuesday. (RELATED: Sen. John Fetterman Checks Into Hospital For ‘Clinical Depression’)
Manchin has opposed nominees more than any other Democratic senator since Biden took office in 2021. He spoke out against Gigi Sohn‘s nomination to the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, leading Sohn to withdraw from consideration.