Midterm Elections

Did Sen. Joe Manchin Really Vote To Fund The Border Wall?

Democrat Joe Manchin said he voted to fund President Donald Trump's border wall. And he did, but he didn't always support it.

Did Sen. Joe Manchin Really Vote To Fund The Border Wall?
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There's another important congressional race happening over one of West Virginia's Senate seats. Incumbent Democrat Joe Manchin is trying to defend his seat in a red state. That means he's trying to toe the line between backing the president where he can and, well, being a Democrat.

Manchin is trying to do that by drawing attention to his support for the president's proposed wall along the border with Mexico.

"Hey, I wanted Mexico to pay for the wall," he says in an ad. "But they're not, so we need to do it ourselves. ... I voted to fund President Trump's wall. Check the vote."

OK.

The bill Manchin showed in his ad is a bill that, among other things, would have funded the president's border wall. That bill lacked the support it needed to become law.

So, yeah, he voted to fund the wall. But it's also important to keep in mind that since President Trump took office, Manchin has offered various takes on the wall. Including in a July 2017 interview when he said, "I'm not for building a wall at all."