Just days after securing a victory in Alaska’s at-large Congressional district, Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, is clashing with the Biden Administration’s agenda, saying she would vote against a proposed bill to avoid an economically crippling potential rail strike after workers called for more action on the inclusion of paid sick leave.
“I’m really concerned about the fact that the negotiation concluded without really getting where we need it to be,” Peltola said in an interview on Meet the Press NOW. “I just don’t think it’s right or fair to expect workers to go in and work sick as a dog without being able to have a few days to recover from it.”
Peltola sidestepped questions about her support for an assault weapons ban despite the president and other Democratic members calling for the ban to go into effect following several mass shootings in the past several weeks.
“I think that we can’t just focus on assault weapons. I think that clearly we need to be focused on mental health issues,” Peltola said, “I am a very staunch supporter of the Second Amendment. This is something that Alaskans are very clear about. … I’m not really sure that we could practically even implement them at this time.”
Peltola would not say whether she would support Biden for another presidential term, saying it's "yet to be determined" whether he is the best option to represent the Democratic Party in 2024.
“I would also like to see who else is in the field,” Peltola said.