Arizona Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema railed at her own party after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi canceled an expected vote on a $1.5 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill Friday.
In a statement she posted online, the moderate Dem said that the delay is “inexcusable and deeply disappointing for communities across our country.”
“Canceling the U.S. House vote on the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act denies Americans millions of new good-paying jobs and hurts everyday families,” Sinema noted in a tweet accompanying her statement.
Canceling the U.S. House vote on the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act denies Americans millions of new good-paying jobs and hurts everyday families.
Full statement ⬇️
— Kyrsten Sinema
“The failure of the U.S. House to hold a vote on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is inexcusable, and deeply disappointing for communities across our country,” Sinema, known for her maverick mentality and feisty personality, said. “Denying Americans millions of good-paying jobs, safer roads, cleaner water, more reliable electricity, and better broadband only hurts everyday families.”
“Arizonans, and all everyday Americans, expect their lawmakers to consider legislation on the merits — rather than obstruct new jobs and critical infrastructure investments for no substantive reason. What Americans have seen instead is an ineffective stunt to gain leverage over a separate proposal,” the Arizona Democrat continued.
“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. I have never, and would never, agree to any bargain that would hold one piece of legislation hostage to another,” Sinema noted further.
“Congress was designed as a place where representatives of Americans with valid and diverse views find compromise and common ground,” she said.
“That is why, when President Biden asked me to continue bipartisan infrastructure negotiations, I agreed and helped deliver the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – a historic, broadly popular plan that reflects a key priority of President Biden’s.
“My commitment to delivering lasting results is also why I have engaged for months in direct, good faith negotiations over the separate budget reconciliation proposal,” Sinema said.
Sinema closed by taking a veiled jab at Pelosi, who is ultimately responsible for what measures do and do not get a vote in the lower chamber.
“Good-faith negotiations, however, require trust,” she said. “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.”