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Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) criticized Republicans for “the sheer mediocrity of witnesses” they called forth during House committee hearings. Ocasio-Cortez said the GOP "brought in a guy... backed by oil lobbyists arguing that fossil fuels are 'healthy.'"
"It’s embarrassing," she said.
One of the things that genuinely surprised me in Congress is the sheer mediocrity of witnesses called forth by the… https://t.co/AgyCH3F0i3— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1556819416.0
The freshman Congresswoman added that she expected the GOP's witnesses "would be well-prepated" and that they'd testify before the committee with "sophisticated arguments for the opposing view." The reality, she said, is that the majority of these arguments are "sloppy" and "reaching."
"I think if everyday GOP voters saw the witnesses called on their behalf, they’d be upset," she said.
I honestly thought GOP witnesses would be well-prepared, w/ sophisticated arguments for the opposing view - evil-ge… https://t.co/KsEclUkyBS— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1556820183.0
Others agreed.
@AOC The scariest conspiracy theory of all: that the men who hold power in our country are not incompetent at all,… https://t.co/h2EpBcMNgf— Tom Casey (@Tom Casey) 1556867734.0
@AOC When you have a voting base for which facts are not required, they can get away with this. Words have no meani… https://t.co/yL4iBSxtWS— (((Kobayashi Saru)))🖖🏻 (@(((Kobayashi Saru)))🖖🏻) 1556848125.0
@AOC It's intentional. The @GOP doesn't care about anyone, and their supporters only care about themselves.— A.J. (@A.J.) 1556878615.0
@AOC And so predictable from the GOP. So long as they get what they want corporately and individually, they don't g… https://t.co/AqucSUVXji— C. Nicole Treadwell (@C. Nicole Treadwell) 1556856116.0
Ocasio-Cortez's comments came after Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta's appearance at a House Education and Labor Committee hearing on Wednesday. Acosta had been criticized for displaying little understanding of the link between women's contraception and health. Representative Lauren Underwood (D-IL), a nurse, was particularly critical.
"For women, reproductive health care is health care," she told Acosta. "But your department has issued rules that deny the science of reproductive health care and allow employers to deny workers health insurance that covers contraceptives. Despite the fact that courts have repeatedly blocked these rules, you and this administration are continuing your efforts to deny women contraceptive coverage.”
Rep. Lauren Underwood schooling Sec. Alexander Acosta that #ReproductiveHealthCare is #HealthCare. 👏🏽👏🏾👏🏿👏🏼… https://t.co/7cT8Xo9Lmh— Young Women United (@Young Women United) 1556815671.0
Ocasio-Cortez has sparred with several lobbyists this week while expressing her disdain over the often enormous power lobbying efforts have on government policy.
Earlier this week, after NRA lobbyist Chris Cox warned that Democrats are “in for a rude awakening in November of next year when the real America goes to the polls” if they support Ocasio-Cortez's "socialist wave."
“Wild that the NRA is suggesting the voters of NY-14 aren’t ‘real Americans’ because they don’t think assault weapons in school classrooms is a good idea," she wrote.
Civics lesson for the NRA: As much as they may not like it, the Bronx and Queens are part of “the real America,” to… https://t.co/ycSYv4ySui— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1556304720.0
Shortly afterward, following criticism from Republicans who accused her of seeking to advance her progressive agenda in her support for the Department of Veterans Affairs, which came amid efforts by large corporations to privatize the service.
Like many public systems, GOP want to rip the battery out + say the whole car doesn’t work, so they can sell it for… https://t.co/EuJIUbxH9b— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) 1556160310.0
Ocasio-Cortez said the GOP "participates in a lobbyist-friendly campaign to trash the VA" in the interest of deals with for-profit health care corporations.