Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), who left the Democratic Party in 2024 to become an Independent, slammed his former party during a recent appearance on The Bill Maher Show, and said: “I was a Democrat all my life. By refusing to extend the $300 a month Child Tax Credit, Joe Mansion caused the child poverty rate to go from 5.2% to 12.4%. He represented 1 of the poorest states & is now a Wall Street lobbyist. The Democrats lost the working class because of Wall Street “Democrats” like him. He represented 1 of the poorest states & is now a Wall Street lobbyist.