Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) is defending her dramatic “thumbs-down” vote on her party’s bid to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, with a spokesperson of her office dismissing criticism over the gesture as sexist.
Sinema sparked social media backlash for the manner in which she joined Senate Republicans and a handful of her Democratic colleagues in voting against the addition of a proposal to boost the federal minimum wage to President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion spending bill. In video footage that has since gone viral, Sinema is seen standing on the House floor, offering a “thumbs down” when her name was called to vote.
