Last Week This Morning: Sinema skips DC for a swanky resort fundraiser
By TJ Hernandez
A win for progressives — and the Biden agenda. Progressives in the House of Representatives blocked passage of the bipartisan infrastructure bill this week, saying that it needed to be linked to a broader reconciliation bill that contains the rest of President Biden’s agenda. Most Democrats in Congress and the Senate are unified in supporting the full Biden agenda, which will reduce the cost of prescription drugs, long-term care, health insurance, childcare, and housing, as well as kickstarting our transition to a clean energy economy, all paid for through taxes on the wealthy and corporations. The Biden plan is hugely popular with voters. But Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin and a handful of corporate Democrats in the House seemed eager to block it entirely. After this week’s maneuvering, negotiations on the full agenda have now begun in earnest.
A heart-breaking milestone. Arizona hit 20,000 deaths from COVID-19 on Friday. Many experts say that the pandemic’s grim toll has been exacerbated by poor leadership from state elected officials like Governor Doug Ducey.
Resign or be recalled. Mass Liberation Arizona announced this week that if Maricopa County Attorney Allistair Adel does not resign, they will lead an effort to recall her from office. Adel’s brief tenure has been marked by lies, mismanagement, and corruption, including a series of political prosecutions brought against protesters.
Democrats hold the power — not the unelected parliamentarian. The Senate parliamentarian, who is an unelected staffer at the US Senate, said again this week that based on Senate rules, Democrats cannot include a path to citizenship in the reconciliation package. But her opinion on Senate rules is just that — an opinion. Democrats still have multiple options for passing a path to citizenship, from over-ruling or firing the parliamentarian to abolishing the filibuster.
Mask mandates ban ruled unconstitutional. A judge struck down a ban on mask mandates at public schools, ruling that it was unconstitutional to include the ban in the Arizona state budget. The judge also ruled against a variety of other provisions that were included in the budget, including anti-voter provisions and a prohibition against vaccine mandates at public universities.
Disrupting Sinema’s fancy fundraiser. Sinema left DC in the middle of critical negotiations to host a fundraiser with corporate lobbyists at a Phoenix resort. When constituents confronted her, she ran away out the back door.
SNL roasts Sinema. It’s worth a watch.
Keep the pressure on. Tell your representatives and Senators Sinema and Kelly to support the full Build Back Better agenda.Tell Adel: resign or be recalled.Get involved in the effort to ensure that Maricopa County Attorney Allistair Adel resigns or is recalled. Get vaccinated! Just 51% of Arizonans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you haven’t yet, get the shot — you can make an appointment with your doctor or walk into most CVS, Safeway or Walgreens locations. Still have questions about the vaccines? Get answers that you can trust.