Sen. Kyrsten Sinema berates climate change activist who confronted her in airport
Kyrsten Sinema was hounded by a climate activist upon returning to Washington on Monday telling the woman not to touch her as she made her way through D.C.'s Reagan National Airport. Sinema has been a lightning rod for months as she became identified as one of the key holdouts for President Biden's 'Build Back Better' legislation, which is in the process of being whittled down from $3.5 trillion. In the video, she can be seen walking quickly through the main airport terminal, while being approached by the activist who walked along with the senator steadily as she tried to ignore her. 'Don't touch me,' Sinema says to her at one point. 'I did not touch you,' responded the activist, who said she was from Tucson, Ariz. 'I know you've met with dozens of lobbyists, and talking to corporate donors about the package, ' said the woman, as Sinema tried to avoid interacting by speaking with one of two men who was walking with her. 'How many times will you meet with constituents,' she asked. 'Your constituents are suffering. What are you doing about climate change,' she asked. 'Sorry about this,' Sinema tells the man as the woman keeps following her. 'I think it's par for the course,' he tells her at one point. Then he appears to try to reassure her: 'Integrity. Character,' he says. Sinema responds by saying: 'I know.' The woman finally dropped off after Sinema got on an escalator. A group called People's Watch posted the exchange on Twitter. The confrontation came after activists followed Sinema into a bathroom earlier this month and hectored her while filming the encounter. 'We knocked on doors for you to get you elected,' says a woman who filmed it. Unlike fellow centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Sinema was not in Delaware this past weekend. Manchin met with Biden. Manchin was optimistic as he arrived at the Capitol Tuesday. 'Were working. Hopefully in a very positive direction,' he said. Manchin has been sharing the parts of the deal he can and cannot live with and has made clear he does not favor Biden's Clean Energy Performance Program, intended to steer power plants into renewable sources. In a CNN town hall last week, Biden praised Sinema as being 'very supportive of the environmental agenda,' but confirmed she objects to the bill's provisions to tax the wealthy. House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said he spoke to Sinema last week by phone for about 30 to 40 minutes, and that she agreed the president's agenda needs to pass. But she was less forthcoming after he pitched corporate tax hikes in he package as non-punitive measures. 'She didn't say no, she just listened to what I had to say,' said Neal.