Kyrsten Sinema criticized over exaggerated hand gesture and down-voting $15 minimum wage
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Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is facing criticism for a thumbs-down gesture she made while indicating her stance against a $15 minimum wage.
The Arizona Democrat appeared to give a strong thumbs-down to her nay vote on the federal minimum wage increase in the coronavirus relief bill, joining seven other Democrats and all Republicans to block the push.
Sinema opposed the vote because the discussion over a minimum wage hike should be separate from the debate on the COVID-19 relief bill, she said.
“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,” Sinema said.
A spokesman in former Housing Secretary Julian Castro’s office tweeted that the gesture might have been insulting to people who would have benefited from the minimum wage increase.
“Did Sinema really have vote against a $15 minimum wage for 24 million people like this?” asked Sawyer Hackett, senior adviser for Castro.
Scott Dworkin, executive director and co-founder of the super PAC Democratic Coalition, compared the Arizona Democrat’s response to one that would come from her colleagues across the aisle.
“The gleeful thumbs down from Senator Sinema on the minimum wage vote was such an obscene Republican response,” Dworkin tweeted.
Others pointed out that Sinema’s thumbs-down invoked memories of the late Sen. John McCain, a fellow Arizona senator, turning down GOP efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act with a similar gesture.
Sinema has made headlines before for gestures expressing her concerns on issues. She sported a purple wig in 2020 in solidarity with those avoiding hair salons to decrease the spread of the coronavirus.
The coronavirus aid package is making its way through the Senate through budget reconciliation rules that bypass the usual 60-vote threshold needed to pass legislation.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Sinema’s office for comment.
Tags: News, Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona, Congress, Senate, Minimum Wage, Coronavirus
Original Author: Mica Soellner
Original Location: Kyrsten Sinema criticized over exaggerated hand gesture and down-voting $15 minimum wage