Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Monday that he has tested positive for Covid, which could complicate the Senate’s push to finish a number of priorities in the two weeks leading up to the August recess.
Manchin, 74, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, tweeted Monday morning that he was “experiencing mild symptoms” from the virus.
“I will isolate and follow CDC guidelines as I continue to work remotely to serve West Virginians,” he said. His office declined to comment further.
The diagnosis comes just two weeks before the Senate enters a break period prior to returning in September.
Democrats have been preparing to take action on several measures to advance President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda.
Senate Democrats are hoping to pass a bill that aims to lower prescription drug costs and would extend Affordable Care Act subsidies to avert sharp insurance premium hikes this fall — two provisions that Manchin has suggested he would support.
A bill to codify federal protections for same-sex marriage, which passed the House, is also now under consideration in the Senate, where Republicans are debating about whether or not to block it.
Manchin, a moderate, has opposed Democratic priorities on climate and taxes. His diagnosis comes days after Sens. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Tom Carper, D-Del., said they also had tested positive for the virus.
The White House also announced last week that Biden was experiencing “mild symptoms” after testing positive for Covid on Thursday.
Frank Thorp V and Sahil Kapur contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
