After she publicly opposed the $3.5 trillion price tag of a long-debated infrastructure bill on Wednesday, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) is feeling the heat from progressive Democrats.
Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), both members of “The Squad,” voiced the most vocal opposition to Sinema breaking with her party. In a tweet, Ocasio-Cortez even implied that Sinema was racist for “excluding members of color” from the final negotiations before debate.
Good luck tanking your own party’s investment on childcare, climate action, and infrastructure while presuming you’ll survive a 3 vote House margin - especially after choosing to exclude members of color from negotiations and calling that a “bipartisan accomplishment.” ???????? https://t.co/0VF8Z73vAa
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 28, 2021
“Good luck tanking your own party’s investment on childcare, climate action, and infrastructure while presuming you’ll survive a 3 vote House margin — especially after choosing to exclude members of color from negotiations and calling that a ‘bipartisan accomplishment,’” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter.
Tlaib also took her shots at Sinema on Twitter, accusing her of neglecting flash floods in Arizona and cozying up to Republicans.
Sinema seems not to care that her own state is flooding, the west is burning, and infrastructure around the country is crumbling. Sinema is more interested in gaining GOP friends and blocking much needed resources, than fighting for her residents' future. https://t.co/TfSc0uoY1j pic.twitter.com/nTFC2lizfK
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) July 28, 2021
Tlaib added that Democrats “did not elect Sinema as President” and must not allow her “obstruction” get in the way of winning the White House in 2024.
Time for the White House to play hardball. We didn't elect Sinema as President and we won't let her obstruction put a Republican in the Oval Office in 2024. It's the reconciliation bill or GOP controlling every level of government again, period. https://t.co/fA04JEQe7F
— Rashida Tlaib (@RashidaTlaib) July 28, 2021
The new wave of left-wing backlash against Sinema comes after said in a statement obtained by The Arizona Republic that, while she opposes the $3.5 trillion infrastructure initiative, she would join the Democrats in voting to advance debate on the bill. This motion passed the Senate on Thursday morning, with 17 Republicans joining Sinema and the Democrats in voting in favor.
But with Sinema’s opposition to the $3.5 trillion legislation, the entire deal now hangs in the balance. Both party leadership and the progressives now worry that Sinema’s opposition could encourage other moderates like Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) to speak out about their reservations with such a bloated infrastructure budget.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) laid out the $3.5 trillion infrastructure package as a compromise on July 13. Progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had pushed for $5-6 trillion to be spent on infrastructure, while Manchin and Sinema had pushed for a $1-2 trillion deal.
Republicans have generally opposed any price tag in the trillions, citing the rising national debt, which is up more than $5 trillion during the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Some in the GOP have also argued that Democrats are using the guise of “infrastructure” to push radical initiatives like the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.