Arizona congresswoman hopes Trump meeting start of bipartisan work

PHOENIX — U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) said Thursday that she hoped a meeting she had with President Donald Trump would be the beginning of a bipartisan approach to solving the nation’s problems.

“What I hope comes from this is a process through which we begin to focus on making compromises to solve these big-ticket items,” Sinema told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Mac & Gaydos.

Sinema said she and eight other Democrats met with Trump and five congressional Republicans on Wednesday without party leaders present. She said it was “really important” that the president hear from people aside from leadership.

“What happened in that meeting was the first bipartisan discussion that rank-and-file, like normal Democrats, have had with the president,” she said, adding that it was the same for Republicans.

Sinema said she did not go into the 80-minute meeting expecting to make a deal on anything, but instead wanted to lay the framework for further talks.

“Here’s the bottom line guys: This is not rocket science,” she said.

“If you want to pass big-ticket items like tax reform, immigration reform or health care, you actually have to do it in a bipartisan way because the votes do not exist to do it with one party only.”

The congresswoman said the planned to attend more meetings with the president if she were invited, so long as he is willing to work with the other side of the aisle.

“If President Trump is genuine in his interest in doing anything bipartisan, I’m going to be at the table,” she said. “I’m interested in getting stuff done.”

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