WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin said on Wednesday he will vote against Daniel Werfel for Internal Revenue Service commissioner, a week after President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the agency was approved by a Senate committee.
Manchin, who has often blocked Biden’s legislative priorities, said he was opposing Werfel on the basis of the Biden administration’s implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, a sprawling tax and climate bill that Manchin was key in passing.
“At every turn, this Administration has ignored Congressional intent when implementing the Inflation Reduction Act,” Manchin said in a statement.
“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,” he added.
Manchin’s vote is important as Democrats currently control the Senate by a thin 51-49 majority, including three independents who caucus with them. Two Democrats – Senators John Fetterman and Dianne Feinstein – are currently out with medical issues.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Werfel received bipartisan support in a Senate committee vote advancing his nomination last week.
Manchin this week helped scuttle Biden’s pick for a key fifth seat on the Federal Communications Commission by signaling his opposition to nominee Gigi Sohn, who withdrew on Tuesday.
Manchin represents West Virginia, a former Democratic stronghold state that has trended Republican in recent decades. He has not yet said if he will run for re-election in 2024, but would likely face a tough battle to retain his seat.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton and Kanishka Singh; writing by Rami Ayyub; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
