Senator Kyrsten Sinema is facing backlash for expressing her opposition to United States President Joe Biden's Build Back Better plan that falls under a massive $3.5 trillion spending package and for allegedly holding a fundraiser for those who also oppose the bill.
The Democratic president and his supporters have repeatedly marketed the Build Back Better program as costing the federal government "zero dollars." However, Sinema has continually expressed her concerns that the cost analysis of the reconciliation package was not what it appeared to be.
Sinema Receives Widespread Backlash
Amid Sinema's criticisms and reports of her fundraiser on Tuesday, she has come under fire from several media figures who suggested she split off from the moral code. They argued that the official was instead driven by greed and corruption.
It was suggested that Sinema and a few of her moderate colleagues were corrupt and voted on the Build Back Better plan based on their desires for their corporate donors, David Sirota, a columnist, said. He added that the battle for the reconciliation bill was not an honest ideological conflict but a necessary clash between policy and corporate greed, Fox News reported.
The situation comes as President Biden previously met with key Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Sinema on Tuesday to market his economic plans. The Democratic leader met with the two officials separately, Sinema in the morning and Manchin in the afternoon. Sinema went back to the White House on Tuesday for a second meeting with the president.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said that Biden believed it was constructive to have had the meetings with Sinema and Manchin. She noted that the Democratic president felt there was an agreement and that they were at a pivotal moment regarding the Build Back Better plan.
The events came as Democrats in the White House and Senate were struggling to draft a plan to financially support the social security net and climate policy that would get through both chambers of Congress. The passing of the party's $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill is most likely based on their progress towards an agreement regarding the budget reconciliation plan, CNBC reported.
Biden's Massive Economic Plans
Biden continues to urge his colleagues and party members to fund his infrastructure bill and his broader agendas. During the Democratic president's meeting with Sinema and Manchin, the points of discussion included the $1 trillion bill and the $3.5 trillion fund for investments in childcare, healthcare, and housing.
Both chambers of Congress have quietly tried to beat back concerns rising among Democrats about whether or not they stand on a sufficiently firm political footing to pass both bills. They have also reassured that there were emergency measures in place to keep the federal government from shutting down and defaulting on its debt.
On Tuesday, think tank Peter G. Peterson Foundation released a poll showing bipartisan support for many Democrats' tax increase proposals to pay for the massive $3.5 trillion bill. The hikes include levies on companies' foreign income, increased Internal Revenue Service enforcement, and a commitment to only target residents with incomes of more than $400,000 per year with tax increases, Reuters reported.