Cindy McCain is praising Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) for voicing opposition to a social spending package with a $3.5 trillion price tag.
During an appearance on ABC’s “The View,” McCain said, “I think Kyrsten’s following her heart, I also think Sen. Manchin is following his. They’re doing it for the right reasons, and that’s what we can ask for. We may not agree with them, but as long as they’re talking to each other on both sides of the aisle, then we’re better off for that.”
Co-host Sunny Hostin cited a poll that found 66% of likely voters in Arizona say they support the spending package. She asked, “So when you say Senator Sinema is ‘following her heart,’ shouldn’t she be following her constituents?”
“Well, that too, yes, of course,” McCain responded.
Watch the video below:
The View co-host @Sunny Hostin: “66% of Arizona likely voters also support this bill, so when you say Senator Sinema is ‘following her heart,’ shouldn’t she be following her constituents?” pic.twitter.com/ErY8OjA6Xd
— The Recount (@therecount) October 6, 2021
McCain’s comments come as Democrats are struggling to pass a massive $3.5 trillion spending bill in Congress.
In the Senate, Democrats are looking to use the budget reconciliation process, which would let them pass the legislation with just 51 votes, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. However, that requires every Democratic senator to vote for the bill.
Sinema and Manchin have voted 100% in line with Biden’s priorities so far, according to FiveThirtyEight. However, they both said they oppose a spending package that costs $3.5 trillion.
In a statement on Sept. 29, Manchin wrote, “Every Member of Congress has a solemn duty to vote for what they believe is best for the country and the American people, not their party. Respectfully, as I have said for months, I can’t support $3.5 trillion more in spending when we have already spent $5.4 trillion since last March.”
He argued that spending trillions of dollars to create new programs “when we can’t even pay for the essential social programs, like Social Security and Medicare, is the definition of fiscal insanity.”
Additionally, Sinema said in a Sept. 30 statement that she would “not support a bill costing $3.5 trillion.”