COVID

Sen. Manchin isolating after positive COVID test

“I will isolate and follow CDC guidelines as I continue to work remotely to serve West Virginians."

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is met by reporters outside the hearing room where he chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, at the Capitol in Washington, July 21, 2022. Manchin has been an obstacle for Biden's climate change plans, a reflection of his outsized influence at a time when Democrats hold the narrowest of margins in the U.S. Senate. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

By Associated Press

July 25, 2022

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — Sen. Joe Manchin has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms, the West Virginia lawmaker tweeted Monday.

The 74-year-old Democrat said he’s fully vaccinated and boosted.

“I will isolate and follow CDC guidelines as I continue to work remotely to serve West Virginians,” he said.

This morning I tested positive for COVID-19. I am fully vaccinated and boosted and am experiencing mild symptoms. I will isolate and follow CDC guidelines as I continue to work remotely to serve West Virginians.

— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) July 25, 2022

Manchin’s absence could impact voting in the Senate later this week. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are able to vote remotely by proxy, but members of the U.S. Senate are not.

Lawmakers are expected to take a final vote on a bill to boost semiconductor production in the United States this week. The bill making its way through the Senate is a top priority of the Biden administration.

The legislation would add about $79 billion to the deficit over 10 years, mostly as a result of new grants and tax breaks that would subsidize the cost that computer chip manufacturers incur when building or expanding chip plants in the United States.