'Betrayal': Dems livid as outgoing senators deliver 'crushing blow'

Decisive votes against extending President Joe Biden’s nominee to the National Labor Relations Board by two outgoing independent senators provoked an immediate stream of reaction Wednesday from political observers across social media.

The internet began to chime in after it became clear that Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) effectively cost Democrats control of the labor board through 2026 with their “no” votes.

“Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema just delivered a crushing blow to the labor agenda,” Democratic strategist Chris Jackson wrote in a social media post. “Their votes effectively hand Donald Trump the keys to the board the moment he takes office again. This is a betrayal of working families — and a gift to corporate interests, which is par for the course for these two.”

X user Alex Guiden, a Media Matters analyst, shared a similar opinion.

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“Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema just voted against Biden’s #NLRB nominee, blocking Democrats from securing control of the labor board through 2026," he wrote. "Their betrayal hands Trump control of the NLRB at the expense of working people. They should be ashamed."

“If you want to know why Democrats have lost ground with unions and lost the working class look no further than Democrats like Manchin and Sinema,” Jared Schablein added to his followers.

But while many Democrats seethed over the latest uproar stirred up by the two Democratic-turned-independent senators who have remained a thorn in the side of their former party, Republicans weren’t nearly as distraught.

“Great news!! Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema blocked Democrat activist Lauren McFerran’s re-nomination to the National Labor Relations Board,” far-right activist Charlie Kirk wrote to his followers on X. “Trump and the Republican controlled Senate will now be able to confirm two nominees to the board, giving them a one-seat advantage.”

Kirk added that the NLRB “is massively important as it settles disputes between big business and labor unions.”

Greg Price, a Trump 2024 deputy rapid response director, also noted that Democrats would have controlled the NLRB if the two senators had voted for Biden's nominee. He added to his social media followers: “Now Donald Trump will appoint her replacement.”

“Good,” said X user Jennifer Grady, who while critical of both Manchin and Sinema, also criticized the Democratic Party in her post. “People need to feel it. Talking is not working.”