Sen. Joe Manchin
Senate Democratic Policy & Communications Committee Vice Chair and Senator for West Virginia
pronounced joh // MAN-chin
Manchin is the senior senator from West Virginia and is a Democrat. He has served since Nov 15, 2010. Manchin is next up for reelection in 2024 and serves until Jan 3, 2025. He is 76 years old.
He is also Senate Democratic Policy & Communications Committee Vice Chair, a party leadership role. Party leaders focus more on setting their party’s legislative priorties than on introducing legislation.
![Photo of Sen. Joe Manchin [D-WV]](/static/legislator-photos/412391-200px.jpeg)
Analysis
Legislative Metrics
Read our 2022 Report Card for Manchin.
Ideology–Leadership Chart
Manchin is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot is a member of the Senate positioned according to our ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).
The chart is based on the bills Manchin has sponsored and cosponsored from Jan 3, 2019 to May 9, 2024. See full analysis methodology.
Committee Membership
Joe Manchin sits on the following committees:
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Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Chair
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Senate Committee on Armed Services
- Cybersecurity subcommittee Chair
Airland, Strategic Forces subcommittees -
Senate Committee on Appropriations
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, Financial Services and General Government, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies subcommittees
- Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs
Enacted Legislation
Manchin was the primary sponsor of 19 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:
- S. 452: Nuclear Fuel Security Act of 2023
- S. 3699 (117th): Department of Energy Science for the Future Act of 2022
- S. 3435 (117th): National Heritage Area Authority Extension Act of 2021
- S. 3425 (117th): National Heritage Area Authority Extension Act of 2021
- S. 2041 (117th): Department of Veterans Affairs Provider Accountability Act
- S. 2377 (117th): Energy Infrastructure Act
- S. 2066 (117th): INSULATE Buildings Act of 2021
Does 19 not sound like a lot? Very few bills are ever enacted — most legislators sponsor only a handful that are signed into law. But there are other legislative activities that we don’t track that are also important, including offering amendments, committee work and oversight of the other branches, and constituent services.
We consider a bill enacted if one of the following is true: a) it is enacted itself, b) it has a companion bill in the other chamber (as identified by Congress) which was enacted, or c) if at least about half of its provisions were incorporated into bills that were enacted (as determined by an automated text analysis, applicable beginning with bills in the 110th Congress).
Bills Sponsored
Issue Areas
Manchin sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:
Health (35%) Armed Forces and National Security (19%) Science, Technology, Communications (10%) International Affairs (9%) Government Operations and Politics (8%) Taxation (7%) Education (7%) Finance and Financial Sector (7%)
Recently Introduced Bills
Manchin recently introduced the following legislation:
- S.Res. 661: A resolution designating the week of April 15 through April 21, 2024, as …
- S. 4101: PEAKS Act
- S.Res. 615: A resolution designating April 5, 2024, as “Gold Star Wives Day”.
- S.Res. 611: A resolution expressing support for the designation of March 22, 2024, as “National …
- S. 3895: Informed Lawmaking to Combat Inflation Act
- S. 3524: SMARTER Debt Act
- S. 3519: Tyler’s Law
View All » | View Cosponsors »
Most legislation has no activity after being introduced.
As Senate Democratic Policy & Communications Committee Vice Chair, Manchin may be focused on his responsibilities other than introducing legislation, such as setting the chamber’s agenda, uniting his party, and brokering deals.
Voting Record
Key Votes
Missed Votes
From Nov 2010 to May 2024, Manchin missed 129 of 4,466 roll call votes, which is 2.9%. This is on par with the median of 2.8% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving. The chart below reports missed votes over time.
We don’t track why legislators miss votes, but it’s often due to medical absenses, major life events, and running for higher office.
Primary Sources
The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including:
- unitedstates/congress-legislators, a community project gathering congressional information
- The House and Senate websites, for committee membership and voting records
- GPO Member Guide for the photo
- GovInfo.gov, for sponsored bills
