Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) told AZCentral that she missed a procedural vote on legislation to establish a bipartisan commission to study the Jan. 6 Capitol riot because she had a “family matter.”
Why it matters: Sinema was one of two Senate Democrats who skipped the 54-35 vote, which ultimately failed to gain enough support to overcome Senate Republicans’ filibuster.
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Context: Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.) was the other Democrat to miss last week’s vote. She said she also had a “personal family matter” to attend to, according to the Seattle Times.
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Sinema missed the vote despite having issued a joint statement three days before with Sen. Joe Manchin, (D-W.Va.), in which they urged GOP senators to back the bill.
What they’re saying: “I had a personal family matter,” Sinema told AZCentral, without elaborating.
The big picture: President Biden in a speech in Tulsa on Tuesday expressed frustrations with congressional Democrats, specifically in the Senate.
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“I hear all the folks on TV saying why doesn’t Biden get this done? Because Biden only has a majority of effectively four votes in the House and a tie in the Senate, with two members of the Senate who vote more with my Republican friends,” the president said.
Go deeper: Brian Sicknick’s partner “disgusted” with Republicans blocking Jan. 6 commission
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