AOC, Tlaib blast Sinema's refusal to support Dems' $3.5T spending package
AOC suggested that racism was involved
Congress still divided on infrastructure amid ongoing inflation concerns
Virginia Republican Ben Cline weighs in on excess spending and runaway inflation on 'The Evening Edit'
Progressive congresswomen Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Rashida Tlaib slammed Democratic Sen. Kyrsten Sinema after she announced she would not support Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending plan.
"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, D-N.Y., tweeted Wednesday.
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Tlaib, D-Mich., a member of the "Squad" along with Ocasio-Cortez, accused Sinema, D-Ariz., of caring more about making friends with Republicans than dealing with the nation’s infrastructure. Sinema, however, is expected to vote in favor of the separate, bipartisan infrastructure package also making its way through Congress.
"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," Tlaib tweeted.
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Tlaib added in another tweet that it’s "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," Tlaib said. "It's the reconciliation bill or GOP controlling every level of government again, period."
Sinema said Wednesday that she does not support the $3.5 trillion price tag on infrastructure spending — a big blow for Democrats, who need the support of all 50 senators to move the package through the Senate.
Sinema will vote to begin the process of advancing the bill but will not support the price tag of $3.5 billion via the reconciliation process.
"I have told Senate leadership and President Biden that I support many of the goals in this proposal to continue creating jobs, growing American competitiveness, and expanding economic opportunities for Arizonans. I have also made clear that while I will support beginning this process, I do not support a bill that costs $3.5 trillion," the Arizona senator said in a statement.
Republicans and Democrats have been going back and forth on Capitol Hill over what to include in the infrastructure package with Republicans warning that the massive amount of spending will hurt the economy.
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"I’ve spoken with a lot of people in the financial services sector, the largest banks in the country," Republican Sen. Thom Tillis said this week. "And they are bullish on the economic prospects absent this $3 or $4 trillion package. All of them have said, with financial experts that are far more experienced than me say if we flood the zone with this $3 trillion in spending, it’s not going to end well. It’s going to affect the long-term cost of products and inflation and could have an upward if the fed does react, could have an upward impact on interest rates."