Kyrsten Sinema Tanks Critical Biden Nominee with First Senate Vote in Weeks, Hands Trump Control of Key Committee

In her first senate vote in weeks, Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat-turned-Independent senator from Arizona, helped tank President Joe Biden's nominee to secure a Democrat-majority on the National Labor Relations Board.

Joe Manchin, who also left the Democratic Party to become an Independent this year, voted alongside Sinema to block Lauren McFerran's nomination to the labor board on Wednesday.

Their votes mean President-elect Donald Trump will have total control over the key committee, an independent federal agency that essentially protects employees from employer and union misconduct.

Sinema has not voted since Nov. 21, 2024, per More Perfect Union, and she has not yet commented on why she participated in Wednesday's vote.

Shifting control of the agency to Trump means less employers will be prosecuted for alleged labor violations and more policies will favor employers over employees and unions. With a second Trump term, there are also fears that his administration will further weaken employee protections by totally neglecting the agency.

Social media users were enraged by the former Democrats' decisions to hand power over to the president-elect.

"This is what 'vote blue no matter who' gets us," X user @maxedoutsolar said in response to the announcement.

"Not shocked. They came in office to make money off the American people. We have been sold to the highest bidder," another added.

Sinema, who was voted into the Senate in 2019, announced she would not be seeking re-election earlier this year.

"I believe in my approach, but it's not what America wants right now," she said in her announcement, according to CNN.