SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks at a news conference introducing the 'People's Housing Platform' on Capitol Hill on January 29, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
'We Are Abdicating Our Responsibility': Ocasio-Cortez Rips Senate Passage of Inadequate Covid-19 Interim Measure
"Every time we pass one of these bills we're hearing that the real solution is coming in the next bill, and then the next bill, and the next bill, and at some point we have to raise our hands and say, 'When is the solution coming?'"
Apr 22, 2020
Following the Senate's passage Tuesday of an "interim" $480 billion coronavirus stimulus bill that excludes nearly every progressive priority--from hazard pay for frontline workers to recurring stimulus checks--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ripped Congress for continuing to push off desperately needed relief as the U.S. death toll from Covid-19 continues to mount.
"We are abdicating our responsibility," Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, said in an interview on MSNBC late Tuesday. "Thousands of people are dying every day... and every time we pass one of these bills we're hearing that the real solution is coming in the next bill, and then the next bill, and the next bill, and at some point we have to raise our hands and say, 'When is the solution coming?'"
"If we are going to bring back every member... to pass a small incremental bill with the knowledge that we are not coming back until next month again, that's two rent checks."
--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Ocasio-Cortez was the only congressional Democrat to oppose the multi-trillion-dollar CARES Act that Congress passed last month, condemning the package as "one of the largest corporate bailouts, with as few strings as possible, in American history."
As Common Dreams reported Monday, Ocasio-Cortez said during a press call that she is leaning toward voting against the interim bill when the House considers the package on Thursday. The legislation includes over $300 billion in additional funding for a flawed small business loan program, $75 billion for hospitals, and $25 billion for Covid-19 testing.
"If we are going to bring back every member... to pass a small incremental bill with the knowledge that we are not coming back until next month again, that's two rent checks," said Ocasio-Cortez.
Watch:
\u201c"Congress is abdicating responsibility...and thousands of people are dying every day. Every time we pass one of these bills we're hearing that the real solution is coming in the next bill, and at some point we have to raise our hands and say, when is the solution coming?" -@AOC\u201d— Justice Democrats (@Justice Democrats) 1587521299
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Following the Senate's passage Tuesday of an "interim" $480 billion coronavirus stimulus bill that excludes nearly every progressive priority--from hazard pay for frontline workers to recurring stimulus checks--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ripped Congress for continuing to push off desperately needed relief as the U.S. death toll from Covid-19 continues to mount.
"We are abdicating our responsibility," Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, said in an interview on MSNBC late Tuesday. "Thousands of people are dying every day... and every time we pass one of these bills we're hearing that the real solution is coming in the next bill, and then the next bill, and the next bill, and at some point we have to raise our hands and say, 'When is the solution coming?'"
"If we are going to bring back every member... to pass a small incremental bill with the knowledge that we are not coming back until next month again, that's two rent checks."
--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Ocasio-Cortez was the only congressional Democrat to oppose the multi-trillion-dollar CARES Act that Congress passed last month, condemning the package as "one of the largest corporate bailouts, with as few strings as possible, in American history."
As Common Dreams reported Monday, Ocasio-Cortez said during a press call that she is leaning toward voting against the interim bill when the House considers the package on Thursday. The legislation includes over $300 billion in additional funding for a flawed small business loan program, $75 billion for hospitals, and $25 billion for Covid-19 testing.
"If we are going to bring back every member... to pass a small incremental bill with the knowledge that we are not coming back until next month again, that's two rent checks," said Ocasio-Cortez.
Watch:
\u201c"Congress is abdicating responsibility...and thousands of people are dying every day. Every time we pass one of these bills we're hearing that the real solution is coming in the next bill, and at some point we have to raise our hands and say, when is the solution coming?" -@AOC\u201d— Justice Democrats (@Justice Democrats) 1587521299
Following the Senate's passage Tuesday of an "interim" $480 billion coronavirus stimulus bill that excludes nearly every progressive priority--from hazard pay for frontline workers to recurring stimulus checks--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ripped Congress for continuing to push off desperately needed relief as the U.S. death toll from Covid-19 continues to mount.
"We are abdicating our responsibility," Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, said in an interview on MSNBC late Tuesday. "Thousands of people are dying every day... and every time we pass one of these bills we're hearing that the real solution is coming in the next bill, and then the next bill, and the next bill, and at some point we have to raise our hands and say, 'When is the solution coming?'"
"If we are going to bring back every member... to pass a small incremental bill with the knowledge that we are not coming back until next month again, that's two rent checks."
--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Ocasio-Cortez was the only congressional Democrat to oppose the multi-trillion-dollar CARES Act that Congress passed last month, condemning the package as "one of the largest corporate bailouts, with as few strings as possible, in American history."
As Common Dreams reported Monday, Ocasio-Cortez said during a press call that she is leaning toward voting against the interim bill when the House considers the package on Thursday. The legislation includes over $300 billion in additional funding for a flawed small business loan program, $75 billion for hospitals, and $25 billion for Covid-19 testing.
"If we are going to bring back every member... to pass a small incremental bill with the knowledge that we are not coming back until next month again, that's two rent checks," said Ocasio-Cortez.
Watch:
\u201c"Congress is abdicating responsibility...and thousands of people are dying every day. Every time we pass one of these bills we're hearing that the real solution is coming in the next bill, and at some point we have to raise our hands and say, when is the solution coming?" -@AOC\u201d— Justice Democrats (@Justice Democrats) 1587521299
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.