Democratic Governor Takes Aim at Kyrsten Sinema While on Stage With Her

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker praised President Joe Biden's achievements on Tuesday in spite of "some reluctant members of his own party" as he took part in a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Pritzker, a Democrat who was reelected as Illinois governor in November, was among a group of U.S. politicians questioned during the "America (Un)Bound" panel at the annual summit. Notably, Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin also participated.

While answering a question, Pritzker stressed that Biden "has gotten things done."

"He has worked with some reluctant members of his own party," Pritzker said. "He's worked with some reluctant members of the opposite party, but we have gotten things done for the United States at the federal level under this president."

Though Pritzker did not mention either by name, some Twitter users found it telling that the Illinois governor made the remark while seated next to Sinema and Manchin.

"J.B. Pritzker savage as he sits next to Manchin and Sinema notes Biden passed many laws despite 'some reluctant' members of his own party," Politico reporter Anthony Adragna tweeted.

When asked for clarification on the meaning of Pritzker's remarks about "reluctant members of his own party," Jordan Abudayyeh, the governor's deputy chief of staff for communications, told Newsweek, "I think the Governor's words were pretty clear here and I'll let them speak for [themselves]."

Pritzker added during the forum that the achievements under the Biden administration are still "not enough." When asked what initiatives are missing on the federal level, Pritzker mentioned banning assault weapons and protecting abortion rights.

"Those are not happening at the federal level—and should—but we're doing it at the state level," Pritzker said.

Though Sinema has been registered as an independent since late last year, the Arizona lawmaker was previously in the Democratic Party. Even when she was a Democrat, Sinema became well-known for her more moderate stances on issues and openness to working with colleagues across the aisle.

Democrats have only held a slim advantage in the previous and current Senate, making the votes of all Democrats and those who caucus with them crucial in passing legislation.

Sinema and moderate Democrat Manchin have been unwilling to vote with the rest of Senate Democrats on several issues, such as nixing or reforming the filibuster and voting rights legislation.

Sinema spoke about her switch to being an independent during the Tuesday panel, saying that she "was always an independent voice and always have been for the things that I believe in and for my state and for my country."

She defended her and Manchin's decisions to not support ending the filibuster, saying they weren't interested in "sacrificing that important guardrail for the institution." Democrats have called for ending the filibuster in order to pass priorities, such as codifying abortion rights and voting rights legislation, with a simple majority.

"And so while some would say that there were reluctant folks working in Congress in the last two years, I would actually say that that was the basis for the productivity for some incredible achievements that made a difference for the American people in the last two years," Sinema added.