| Sinema’s obstruction, arbitrary demand for less spending, and silence on the actual issues has led to significant cuts to critical and widely popular provisions in Biden’s Build Back Better plan |
| Phoenix — For months, Senator Sinema has refused to support the Build Back Better plan, the social infrastructure package that President Biden and Democratic leadership put forward over the summer. While Sinema has made her arbitrary demand for a less ambitious bill, she has been silent on any specifics of what she wants to cut. This has left the press, her constituents — and even sometimes the White House and her fellow Senate Democrats — guessing. These political games are hurting American families. Because of Sinema’s insistence on slimming down the package, essential provisions that would improve lives of Americans and are widely popular (including in Arizona specifically) are being cut. “If Senator Sinema wants massive cuts to programs for working class Americans, she should just say it. And if that isn’t what she wants, she should be speaking out against them,” said the Primary Sinema Project in a statement. “While Senator Sinema remains silent, we can only assume she’s getting exactly what she wants — and with Build Back Better still in limbo, that she’s not done yet.” Here’s a running list of what is on the chopping block because of Sinema’s political games:Prescription Drug Pricing Reform: There’s overwhelming support for allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices. An OH poll commissioned by AARP Arizona found that a remarkable 94% of Arizona voters support the provision, and even Sinema campaigned on lowering prescription drug prices just three years ago. But now, Senator Sinema has opposed the provision. Meanwhile, Sinema has raked in money from pharmaceutical companies’ PACs – the same companies that profit from her opposition to the provision. Fair taxes for the highest earners: The Build Back Better plan includes measures to undo former-President Trump’s huge tax breaks for corporations and the rich. But now, Sinema is opposing the new tax plan to make the super wealthy pay their fair share. According to Data for Progress polling, voters in Arizona support increasing taxes on the wealthiest through the Build Back Better plan by a margin of 53 points. The Child Tax Credit: The expanded child tax credit has been an historic success, lifting millions of children out of poverty since the policy went into effect in July. The program expires at the end of this year and could be made permanent, but because of Sinema’s silence on the priority and her political games, it’s likely the CTC is only extended a meager one year – which moderate Democrats are arguing is insufficient. According to polling by Data for Progress, voters in Arizona support extending tax cuts for families by an overwhelming 43%. Climate Provisions: Climate Change is an existential threat and Biden’s Build Back Better Act is a much needed plan to address it. Biden’s bill would transform the electricity sector by investing in clean energy. Two weeks ago, it was reported that the former Green Party candidate, Sen. Sinema wanted to cut $100 Billion in funds to address climate change. And now, with Sen. Manchin’s opposition as well, it’s seeming increasingly likely that climate will be neglected in the bill’s final form. According to a Data For Progress poll that tested each provision of the Build Back Better plan, investments in clean energy garnered 69% support from Arizonans. Paid Family Leave: In its original form, the Build Back Better plan guaranteed 12 weeks of paid family leave, but because of Senator Sinema and her fellow obstructionists, the plan reportedly has been slashed to include just four weeks. According to Data for Progress, voters in Arizona support paid family and medical leave in Build Back Better by a huge 40-point margin. Elder Home Care: It was recently reported the new version of the bill will chop the $400 billion originally set aside for elder home care down to just $150 billion. According to Data for Progress, an overwhelming majority of likely voters in Arizona agree that investments in caregiving create economic growth. Free Community College: Biden’s original bill included a provision to make community college free, which would benefit an estimated 8 million students. Recent reporting from CNN has revealed that Sinema’s resistance to free community college was a primary reason it has been dropped from the bill.Senator Sinema’s obstruction is weakening Build Back Better and Arizona voters can see it. That’s why a recent Data for Progress poll that showed 85% of Democratic primary voters approve of the jobs that both President Biden and Senator Kelly are doing, while a paltry 25% approve of Senator Sinema. Meanwhile, Democrats in Arizona and across the country are investing in groups like ours laying the groundwork for a 2024 primary challenge. Senator Sinema is at a crossroads: She can support President Biden’s popular Build Back Better agenda, or she can continue to let down Arizonans and earn herself a primary challenge. |