Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is taking credit for portions of President Donald Trump’s "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" according to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, credit that some critics say is undeserved as the one-term lawmaker rakes in hundreds of thousands of dollars from pro-business, cryptocurrency and lobbying organizations.
Sinema, who was elected in Arizona as a Democrat but switched later to an independent as her favorability among Democratic voters plummeted, has launched several ventures since leaving office in January. She leads an Arizona business advocacy group, works at a lobbying and law firm and serves on the council of a cryptocurrency advocacy organization.
It’s Sinema’s work leading the Arizona business advocacy group, the Arizona Business Roundtable, that the former lawmaker claims was in part responsible for a number of inclusions in the OBBBA. In particular, Sinema claimed credit for the inclusion of certain extensions on tax cuts and energy tax credits, as well as an Arizona-specific rural hospital fund, according to those close to Sinema who spoke with the Wall Street Journal.
But those same sources say Sinema is “claiming undue credit for changes to the bill that were also being pursued by other powerful players
“The final law largely reflected the Arizona business priorities, but it is hard to trace any of that directly to Sinema’s group or her work,” wrote Eliza Collins and Richard Rubin with the Wall Street Journal published Sunday.
“Republicans, broadly, favored those tax cuts and a significant group of lawmakers wanted to protect some of the energy tax credits, such as solar, that also especially benefit Arizonans. The rural hospital fund was a request from several Republican senators – and Republicans will benefit politically from waiting until after the midterm election to restrict Medicaid funding.”
According to “people aware of her projects,” Sinema is set to make “well over a million dollars” this year, though her aide declined to comment on the figure to the Wall Street Journal. For Sinema’s part, she largely dismissed the idea that she played little, if any, role in shaping the OBBBA.
“Everyone’s allowed to have their own opinion,” Sinema told the Wall Street Journal.
Initially met with strong support from Democratic voters, her polling among the party plummeted following several dissents from the party, including her vote against eliminating the Senate filibuster in 2022.