Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., has again been confronted over her unwillingness to support legislation that provides a pathway to American citizenship for illegal migrants or vote for Democratic President Biden's "Build Back Better" infrastructure plan.
Sinema was confronted over the 10-year $3.5 trillion legislation at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. and on an airplane. Democrats need the vote of all Democratic senators to pass the bill, however, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Sinema both oppose the legislation due to its exorbitant cost.
A video that merged on Monday showed the politician, who was in the middle of a telephone conversation, being approached by Green New Deal Network chief of staff Kunoor Ojha accompanied by a small group of other protesters.
"Hi, Senator Sinema? I want to ask if you can explain to the American people what you're planning on cutting from Joe Biden's ‘Build Back Better’ plan?... Do you want to cut climate priorities? Is it elder care that you want to cut, or is it child care?" asked Ojha.
Others voices in the group hurtled questions at the senator on a variety of issues. Later, when Sinema was already on the plane, a recipient of the Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, by the name of Karina, confronted the senator over the pathway to citizenship for immigrants plans.
"Can you commit to that, senator?" Karina asked, later adding, "I don't want to disturb you, but at the same time, I just want to know if I can get a commitment from you, senator."
Sinema appeared to mostly ignore the questioners.
This comes as footage circulated on Sunday depicted immigration activists following Senator Sinema from the classroom where she teaches at Arizona State University to the restroom. A video posted on the Twitter account of Living United for Change in Arizona, (LUCHA), an immigration reform advocacy group, showed activists following Sinema into a bathroom demanding she support a "pathway to citizenship".
“We knocked on doors for you to get you elected. And just how we got you elected, we can get you out of office if you don’t support what you promised us,” a woman filming the encounter is heard saying.
The Arizona Senator denounced the incident over the weekend as “unacceptable.”
The viral clip triggered diverse reactions from both sides of the political aisle, with some people claiming that the activists' demands are reasonable, while others insisted that Sinema was "harassed".
Similar tactics have been employed against her colleague Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who was accosted by protesters in kayaks while on his houseboat in Washington, D.C., over the weekend.
Slammed for not supporting Biden's $3.5 trillion spending bill, Manchin was told by the protesters that the plan was “an investment".
"This is not giving out money. This is not spending. This is building the state that we both love!" shouted one kayaker.
When Joe Biden was asked his opinion of the tactics by activists to pressure the two senators over his two spending bills - a $1 trillion infrastructure package and a $3.5 trillion reconciliation proposal, he said, according to a White House transcript:
"I don't think they're appropriate tactics, but it happens to everybody from the — the only people it doesn't happen to are people who have Secret Service standing around them. So, it's — it’s part of the process."
The progressive Democratic faction demands that the larger reconciliation bill be greenlighted first, refusing to support the infrastructure proposal otherwise, while moderate Democrats have voiced concerns about the exorbitant $3.5 trillion bill.