Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema blasted fellow Democrats for not passing a bipartisan infrastructure proposal Saturday afternoon after the House of Representatives failed to vote on the act.
A key obstacle to those attempting to pass a massive spending package, Sinema said the House’s failure to vote on the bill was “inexcusable and deeply disappointing for communities across our country.” The delay, aimed at mollifying progressives who refuse to back the proposal without reaching an agreement on a companion bill that would provide trillions of dollars for social services, cost the United States “millions of good paying jobs,” the Arizona Democrat said.
“My vote belongs to Arizona, and I do not trade my vote for political favors — I vote based only on what is best for my state and the country,” she tweeted. “I have never, and would never, agree to any bargain that would hold one piece of legislation hostage to another.”
Sinema slammed members of her own party for their “ineffective stunt to gain leverage over a separate proposal,” saying she has “never, and would never, agree to any bargain that would hold one piece of legislation hostage to another.”
“Good-faith negotiations, however, require trust. Over the course of this year, Democratic leaders have made conflicting promises that could not all be kept — and have, at times, pretended that differences of opinion within our party did not exist, even when those disagreements were repeatedly made clear directly and publicly. Canceling the infrastructure vote further erodes that trust,” she said. “More importantly, it betrays the trust the American people have placed in their elected leaders and denies our country crucial investments to expand economic opportunities.”
After a week of arguments, Democratic leaders delayed the vote on the infrastructure bill due to progressives’ refusal to support the measure without reaching an agreement on a separate social and climate change bill. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delayed the vote, originally scheduled for Thursday night, when it became clear the party did not have the support required for passage.
President Joe Biden remains determined to get both bills passed, the White House said Saturday, despite reports that the president’s Friday visit to Capitol Hill ended without budging target lawmakers.
Pelosi ordered a deadline of Oct. 31 to pass the infrastructure bill in a letter Saturday, but she urged the House to pass it even sooner “to get the jobs out there.”
