U.S. Sen. Krysten Sinema brought cake to the Senate when she voted against including a federal minimum wage increase in a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, prompting comparisons to Marie Antoinette's alleged remark about her impoverished subjects, 'Let them eat cake.
On March 5, 2021, Twitter users expressed anger that U.S. Sen. Krysten Sinema, D-Arizona, appeared to vote against including a minimum wage hike in a COVID-19 economic relief being debated in the Senate with what was viewed as too much panache. Why is Senator Sinema from AZ so happy about voting against minimum way increase? How infuriating when millions of people are struggling including in her own state.pic.twitter.com/fEhxr29Aci - Cristina Jiménez (@CrisAlexJimenez) March 5, 2021 Sinema was one of eight Democratic senators to join all 50 Senate Republicans in rejecting a $15 minimum wage, which would raise it from the current $7.25 federal minimum wage, from being included in a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Although some states have their own minimum wage laws, the federal minimum wage has been stagnant since 2009. Reports that Sinema also brought a cake to the Senate inspired some to compare her to Marie Antionette, the last queen of France before the French Revolution who was, as the story goes, reviled for obliviously saying 'Let them eat cake' in reference to her starving subjects. (There is little or no historical evidence, however, that she ever actually said it.) Sinema just walked into the Senate carrying a large chocolate cake - Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) March 5, 2021 Marie-Antoinette never actually wore wigs or said 'let them eat cake,' but Sinema is doing a great impression nonetheless. #MarieAntoinette - Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell (@HottyCouture) March 5, 2021 Sinema's cake was unrelated to her vote on including the minimum wage in the pandemic relief bill, however. Igor Bobic, politics reporter for the Huffington Post, followed his earlier tweet with more detail about the cake, reporting that Sinema brought it for Senate staff who were forced to work through the night reading the COVID-19 relief bill out loud at the request of U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, to stall the bill moving through Congress. Since there are apparently a lot of people outraged about this, the cake was for Senate floor staff who worked through the night while a 628 page bill was read at the request of Sen. Ron Johnson - Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) March 5, 2021 Sinema released a statement the day of her vote communicating that she supports a minimum wage hike but believes it should be considered separately from the COVID-19 relief bill.Recent Updates Updated headline/claim to clarify that Sinema's cake sparked comparisons to Marie Antoinette's alleged remark, 'Let them eat cake.' 
nan
10124-proof-02-GettyImages-1149136201.jpg