U.S. Sen. Kirsten Sinema (D-AZ) heads back to a bipartisan meeting on infrastructure in the basement of the U.S. Capitol building after the original talks fell through with the White House on June 8, 2021 in Washington, DC.
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Sinema (D-AZ) heads back to a bipartisan meeting on infrastructure in the basement of the U.S. Capitol building after the original talks fell through with the White House on June 8, 2021 in Washington, DC. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said they are now pursuing a two-path proposal that includes a new set of negotiations with a bipartisan group of senators.
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  • Sen. Kyrsten Sinema was elected to the US Senate in 2018.
  • Before being elected, Sinema advocated raising taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans.
  • But Sinema, a former member of the Green Party, has become more conservative in recent years.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

US Sen. Kyrsten Sinema has told colleagues she opposes raising taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans as part of President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats' $3.5 trillion spending proposal, The New York Times reported this week.

But the Democrat from Arizona, who once served as a spokesperson for the left-wing Green Party, didn't always object to making corporations and the rich "pay their fair share."

In a 2011 post on Twitter, Sinema – then a member of the Arizona state Senate – said doing so was only "common sense."

Twitter post from Kyrsten Sinema
Sinema deleted this post on September 30, 2021.
Screenshot/Twitter

Sinema's liberal critics began pointing to that comment on Thursday. "So you're voting for Build Back Better, then?" asked Karoli Kuns, managing editor of the progressive blog Crooks and Liars.

The senator, who was elected in 2018, soon after deleted the tweet. Her office did not respond to a request for comment on why.

Sinema's murky opposition to her fellow Democrats' reconciliation proposal, which would expand Medicare, cut tuition at community colleges, and extend the child tax credit has threatened its passage in a chamber where the party can not afford to lose a single vote. While she has balked at the price tag, she has not explicitly detailed her objections, angering progressives.

Back in Arizona, leaders of the state Democratic Party have threatened to hold a "no confidence" vote if she delays or votes against the $3.5 trillion package.

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