At least part of the standstill over Democrats’ $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill is still rooted in Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s (D-AZ) refusal to up taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans, according to Insider.
The senator’s objection to President Joe Biden’s proposed tax increases, which are crucial to paying for the sweeping legislation, has been a sticking point in her negotiations with the White House since at least September, as the New York Times first reported at the time.
Amid talks with the White House, Sinema is currently attending fundraisers for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) in Europe.
John LaBombard, a spokesperson for the senator, told the New York Times that she’s held “several calls” with Biden, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) team and other Senate and House colleagues this week.
Insider’s report comes as Sinema remains publicly tight-lipped about her counterproposal to the reconciliation bill, much to the frustration to the rest of her Democratic colleagues, particularly progressives.
Sinema has reportedly told House Democrats this week that she won’t vote for the reconciliation bill until the bipartisan infrastructure bill she helped craft passes first.
