Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks to a supporter outside of her office in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill February 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Feb 24, 2019
Add Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) paying a living wage to staffers to the ideas Fox News considers "communism."
On Sunday, "Fox & Friends" host Pete Hegseth railed against a report that Ocasio-Cortez will start staff salaries at $52,000 a year and cap salaries at $80,000 a year. The cap will allow the Congresswoman to pay interns $15 an hour, a pledge she made in December.
"Everyone's between 52 and 80," said Hegseth. "It's actually socialism and communism on display."
Hegseth's comments came on the heels of a Saturday tweet by Fox News contributor Dan Bongino, who took issue with the fact that Ocasio-Cortez's office is funded by taxpayers. "She's NOT paying this 'living wage,' YOU are," wrote Bongino.
Ocasio-Cortez fired back on Twitter Monday morning, saying that the Republican Party's reaction to her paying her staffers a living wage, through its mouthpiece Fox News, revealed the GOP is "disconnected from the basic idea that people should be paid enough to live."
\u201cThe GOP is so disconnected from the basic idea that people should be paid enough to live that Fox actually thinks me paying a living wage in my office is \u201ccommunism.\u201d\n\nSo the next time GOP screams \u201csocialist,\u201d know that\u2019s their go-to attack for any common-sense, humane policy.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1551104504
The Congresswoman expanded on the idea in a longer post on Instagram, saying that her office was constrained by its allotted budget but that she wanted to ensure her staff could survive in one of the nation's most affluent cities.
"Only people who work 80+hr weeks w/ multiple jobs without an outside life, or whose parents can supplement their pay can have the opportunity to work in the nation's capital," wrote Ocasio-Cortez. "That has real consequences for government being out of touch w/ the people we serve on all levels."
The salary increases were generally praised on the left, though some commentators like author Jacob Bacharach pointed out that the pay, while generous, is still below what's needed to live in the capitol. "Let's not forget that that's something like $34K take-home, or around $2,800/month in a city where average rent is $2K+," wrote Bacharach in a Twitter thread detailing the issues with the DC housing market. "DC's problem is less absurdly underpaid government workers than a deranged speculative housing market!"
If Ocasio-Cortez tries to address the latter issue, the same attacks on "socialism" will likely be leveled against her. After all, as the Congresswoman noted in her tweet, that's their "go-to attack for any common-sense, humane policy."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Add Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) paying a living wage to staffers to the ideas Fox News considers "communism."
On Sunday, "Fox & Friends" host Pete Hegseth railed against a report that Ocasio-Cortez will start staff salaries at $52,000 a year and cap salaries at $80,000 a year. The cap will allow the Congresswoman to pay interns $15 an hour, a pledge she made in December.
"Everyone's between 52 and 80," said Hegseth. "It's actually socialism and communism on display."
Hegseth's comments came on the heels of a Saturday tweet by Fox News contributor Dan Bongino, who took issue with the fact that Ocasio-Cortez's office is funded by taxpayers. "She's NOT paying this 'living wage,' YOU are," wrote Bongino.
Ocasio-Cortez fired back on Twitter Monday morning, saying that the Republican Party's reaction to her paying her staffers a living wage, through its mouthpiece Fox News, revealed the GOP is "disconnected from the basic idea that people should be paid enough to live."
\u201cThe GOP is so disconnected from the basic idea that people should be paid enough to live that Fox actually thinks me paying a living wage in my office is \u201ccommunism.\u201d\n\nSo the next time GOP screams \u201csocialist,\u201d know that\u2019s their go-to attack for any common-sense, humane policy.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1551104504
The Congresswoman expanded on the idea in a longer post on Instagram, saying that her office was constrained by its allotted budget but that she wanted to ensure her staff could survive in one of the nation's most affluent cities.
"Only people who work 80+hr weeks w/ multiple jobs without an outside life, or whose parents can supplement their pay can have the opportunity to work in the nation's capital," wrote Ocasio-Cortez. "That has real consequences for government being out of touch w/ the people we serve on all levels."
The salary increases were generally praised on the left, though some commentators like author Jacob Bacharach pointed out that the pay, while generous, is still below what's needed to live in the capitol. "Let's not forget that that's something like $34K take-home, or around $2,800/month in a city where average rent is $2K+," wrote Bacharach in a Twitter thread detailing the issues with the DC housing market. "DC's problem is less absurdly underpaid government workers than a deranged speculative housing market!"
If Ocasio-Cortez tries to address the latter issue, the same attacks on "socialism" will likely be leveled against her. After all, as the Congresswoman noted in her tweet, that's their "go-to attack for any common-sense, humane policy."
Add Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) paying a living wage to staffers to the ideas Fox News considers "communism."
On Sunday, "Fox & Friends" host Pete Hegseth railed against a report that Ocasio-Cortez will start staff salaries at $52,000 a year and cap salaries at $80,000 a year. The cap will allow the Congresswoman to pay interns $15 an hour, a pledge she made in December.
"Everyone's between 52 and 80," said Hegseth. "It's actually socialism and communism on display."
Hegseth's comments came on the heels of a Saturday tweet by Fox News contributor Dan Bongino, who took issue with the fact that Ocasio-Cortez's office is funded by taxpayers. "She's NOT paying this 'living wage,' YOU are," wrote Bongino.
Ocasio-Cortez fired back on Twitter Monday morning, saying that the Republican Party's reaction to her paying her staffers a living wage, through its mouthpiece Fox News, revealed the GOP is "disconnected from the basic idea that people should be paid enough to live."
\u201cThe GOP is so disconnected from the basic idea that people should be paid enough to live that Fox actually thinks me paying a living wage in my office is \u201ccommunism.\u201d\n\nSo the next time GOP screams \u201csocialist,\u201d know that\u2019s their go-to attack for any common-sense, humane policy.\u201d— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1551104504
The Congresswoman expanded on the idea in a longer post on Instagram, saying that her office was constrained by its allotted budget but that she wanted to ensure her staff could survive in one of the nation's most affluent cities.
"Only people who work 80+hr weeks w/ multiple jobs without an outside life, or whose parents can supplement their pay can have the opportunity to work in the nation's capital," wrote Ocasio-Cortez. "That has real consequences for government being out of touch w/ the people we serve on all levels."
The salary increases were generally praised on the left, though some commentators like author Jacob Bacharach pointed out that the pay, while generous, is still below what's needed to live in the capitol. "Let's not forget that that's something like $34K take-home, or around $2,800/month in a city where average rent is $2K+," wrote Bacharach in a Twitter thread detailing the issues with the DC housing market. "DC's problem is less absurdly underpaid government workers than a deranged speculative housing market!"
If Ocasio-Cortez tries to address the latter issue, the same attacks on "socialism" will likely be leveled against her. After all, as the Congresswoman noted in her tweet, that's their "go-to attack for any common-sense, humane policy."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.