WASHINGTON—As Arizona Democrat Sen. Kirsten Sinema presided over the Senate floor on Tuesday, fellow Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia stood beside her on the stage. I got down on one knee and leaned forward eagerly to speak. to her in her quiet tone.
Mr. Cinema is an enigmatic MP who has indicated his willingness to support her party and will replace Mr. Manchin as the most prominent and speculative holdout on his party’s major climate, energy and tax packages. replaced Mr. Manchin as she supports it.
A journalist was watching from the gallery above, leaning over to hear the conversation, Cinema-san waved in apparent acknowledgment.
“She will make decisions based on facts,” Manchin later told reporters, adding, “It’s a good story.”
While Manchin has embraced public scrutiny and attention as the Senate is evenly divided, Cinema remains a tight-lipped mystery. Passage of the Democratic Party’s major domestic policy initiative was negotiated by Manchin and majority leader Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, and now depends on her willingness to support it. .
So far, Mr. Cinema has not said anything.
The Democrats are in a perilous position as they rush to move forward with the package as early as this week and struggle to unite all 50 members of the caucuses behind it. Republicans are expected to vote unanimously against the plan. The plan includes hundreds of billions of dollars in energy and climate proposals, plans aimed at increasing taxes, extending health subsidies, and lowering the price of prescription drugs. Current.
The party leader will also have to manipulate the bill through a series of quick amendments that could pass if Democrats join the Republican endorsement. As Manchin eagerly embarked on his media tour to celebrate the move, Mr. Cinema’s characteristic silence fostered fears of failure.
A spokeswoman for Cinema said senators are reviewing the bill and awaiting guidance from the head of Senate rulebooks analyzing whether it meets the stringent rules that apply under the budget adjustment process. said there is. Democrats used the settlement process to protect legislation from filibuster and speed its passage through Congress.
As Arizona senators prepared their own wish lists, top Democrats quietly said Wednesday what changes would need to be made to the bill, particularly the tax provisions, to win Mr. Cinema’s support. was considering.
Cinema voted in favor of an original $3.5 trillion budget that would allow Democrats to work on legislation, but many parts of the current package, especially those included to pay for it, were included. has not shown clear support for many of its tax increases. Allegations of Cinema’s endorsement center on her past opposition to proposals aimed at limiting favorable tax breaks on profits earned by venture capitalists and private equity firms. The proposal was among the tax changes that Manchin and Schumer included in the deal.
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Manchin and other Democrats say the provision ensures fairness in the country’s tax laws. But Cinema resisted many of the tax hikes promoted by his colleagues.
Given that her state is suffering from devastating water shortages, she plans to add funding for drought resilience, according to the people, who asked not to be identified to disclose the delicate negotiations. Also promotes Politico first reported Request from Cinema 27 consecutive years of droughtaccording to the state climate office.
Cinema, like most of his colleagues, was caught off guard by the news of the deal and its details between Manchin and Schumer. Manchin said he deliberately did not confide in or consult other Democrats during final negotiations to save the climate and tax proposals. Get a completed invoice. “
Speaking to a West Virginia radio station on Tuesday, Manchin said Cinema played a huge role in shaping the prescription drug proposal and curtailing Democrats’ ambitions to overhaul tax law as part of the plan. Stated.
It was unclear whether Democrats were willing to cut taxes on wealthy business owners to win Mr. Cinema. Estimates suggest it will raise about $14 billion, a small portion of its $740 billion plan.
“While some in Washington may find it old-fashioned, my experience has always been that Cinema Senators should be thoughtful and cautious when it comes to changing tax policy.” said John Labombard, senior vice president of public relations. ROKK Solutions left Cinema’s office in February after she worked there for more than three years.
Party leaders have expressed cautious optimism that the package can be passed with its key elements intact.
“I strongly hope that we will all come together and pass this bill,” Schumer said, adding that Schumer and his staff have been in contact with Cinema about the measure.
Others even declined to comment on whether they had spoken to Mr. Cinema.
“Why should I share it with you at this point?” Virginia Sen. Mark Warner asked, grinning and throwing his arms in the air as he boarded the Senate subway. .
Cinema, 46, has played a key role in negotiating some of the most hard-won bipartisan compromises, frustrating the party by refusing to accept some of its top priorities. I’ve been switching between what I do and what I do.
She drew ire from her colleagues and some voters for opposing their push to undo the 60-vote filibuster threshold that Republicans have used to block much of the Democratic agenda. Cinema also helped craft the bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill with Manchin and played a leading role in making compromises on gun safety initiatives, enacted the first significant federal law on the issue in decades.
She has previously voiced her support for investing in climate change, and many Democrats hope she will choose to back the final deal. He emphasized that party lawmakers talk to her between polls.
Ms. Cinema also hears directly from voters, activists and local businesses in her state.
Daniel Seiden, chairman and chief executive officer of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview that after reaching out to Cinema’s office, several business and industry representatives met with Cinema on Tuesday about the bill. said he spoke. They have expressed concerns about how the proposed minimum 15% tax on businesses is structured, he said.
Cinema asked for more details on how businesses would be affected and whether the proposal could be “better crafted”. ’ he added.
Cinema, who faces re-election in 2024, could also face major opponents as part of a backlash for his resistance to ending the filibuster. The Primary Cinema Project, a political group aimed at deporting her, warned Ms. Cinema:Better not mess this upAfter the deal was announced, Rep. Ruben Gallego, a potential challenger and prominent critic, said: she accused me of lifting a major “Protecting very wealthy hedge fund managers so they can pay lower taxes.”
His Republican supporters and business groups see him as a last chance to derail policies they have accused of harming the national economy. Americans For Prosperity is a conservative non-profit advocacy group with ties to the Tea Party and the Koch Brothers. distributed online advertising “Come on Kirsten… say no to Arizona,” pleaded against the law.
But her colleagues admitted that Mr. Cinema did not appear to be shaken by the fervor of the mass movement.
“She analyzes it, follows her own advice, and, as most people know, usually makes decisions on her own, quite independently of the pressures she might face from either side. 2 Republican, told reporters on Monday, “So I think she’s going through that process now.”
Katie Edmondson When Lisa Freedman contributed to the report.