A video showing Krysten Sinema voting against a $15 minimum wage went viral on Friday because of her body language as she voted against it.
As Sinema voted no she bobbed down while giving the vote a thumbs down.
Sawyer Hackett, former senior adviser for failed Democrat presidential candidate Julian Castro, tweeted out a video of Sinema voting no and wrote: “Did Sinema really have vote against a $15 minimum wage for 24 million people like this?”
WATCH:
Did Sinema really have vote against a $15 minimum wage for 24 million people like this? pic.twitter.com/Jv0UXLKLHI
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) March 5, 2021
A reporter with far-left HuffPost wrote: “Jesus this is disrespectful.”
“Primary her and make this the campaign video,” a left-wing activist wrote.
A columnist with a local Arizona newspaper commented, “Kyrsten Sinema really did this. Her thumb down is equivalent to a middle-finger up to the people who voted for her. Astonishing.”
A socialist group wrote: “Not only do some democratic senators vote against a living wage, they do it with glee.”
“Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire voted against proceeding, though the tally remains open,” Politico reported. “So did two close Biden allies, Chris Coons and Tom Carper of Delaware. Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who caucuses with the Senate Democrats, also opposed it.”
In a statement, Sinema said:
I understand what it is like to face tough choices while working to meet your family’s most basic needs. I also know the difference better wages can make, which is why I helped lead Arizona’s effort to pass an indexed minimum wage in 2006, and strongly supported the voter-approved state minimum wage increase in 2016. No person who works full time should live in poverty. Senators in both parties have shown support for raising the federal minimum wage and the Senate should hold an open debate and amendment process on raising the minimum wage, separate from the COVID-focused reconciliation bill. I will keep working with colleagues in both parties to ensure Americans can access good-paying jobs, quality education, and skills training to build more economically secure lives for themselves and their families.
Arizona’s other Democrat Senator, Mark Kelly, “voted to allow the effort to overrule the Senate parliamentarian, who has decided the measure to raise the wage from $7.25 an hour cannot be considered as part of the COVID-19 legislation,” AZ Central reported. “The aid package is advancing in the 100-member Senate through budget reconciliation rules that bypass the typical 60-vote threshold needed to pass legislation.”
“I’ve talked with Arizonans struggling to make ends meet, and while improvements need to be made to this proposal, I believe hard working Arizonans deserve a raise,” Kelly said. “This COVID relief package is going to bring a lot of immediate help to Arizona families and small business owners, and I’ll continue working with Republicans and Democrats to raise the minimum wage in a way that works for Arizona’s economy, families, and small businesses.”
This report has been updated to include additional information.