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President Donald Trump and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (National Archives)
President Donald Trump tweeted his support for Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Who saw that coming?
At a town hall meeting, Ocasio-Cortez argued against the privatization of veteran's health care, saying that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides "some of the highest quality care."
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," she said.
Republican Phil Roe (R-TN) heartily disagreed:
"While Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and I have VA medical facilities in and near our districts with great quality ratings, not all veterans are so lucky....It is evident that she paid little attention to the scandalous treatment of veterans that occurred several years ago by some in the very agency created to serve them," he said.
Surprisingly, Donald Trump sided with Ocasio-Cortez on the matter. However, they agreed for different reasons.
While AOC stood against the privatization of veteran care in opposition to greed from the pharmaceutical industry, Trump saw a chance to brag.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is correct, the VA is not broken, it is doing great. But that is only because of the… https://t.co/2XHTS0gNl9— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump)1556124894.0
This didn't go over well on Twitter.
@realDonaldTrump Remember when you took veteran funding and instead used it to pay for caging children at the border?— Treason Stickers (@Treason Stickers)1556125058.0
@realDonaldTrump Come to Jacksonville to the VA canter at Southpoint and speak with my doctor on the Orange team. S… https://t.co/rWLWnYpJ0e— Robert Wasdin (@Robert Wasdin)1556128606.0
@realDonaldTrump System still broken. Husband is a vet and has to deal with appts pushed out weeks instead of days… https://t.co/og1tjoAvbG— Darlene Soliz (@Darlene Soliz)1556129468.0
Under the current Veterans Choice Program, eligible veterans can receive health care from a community provider instead of waiting for care at a VA facility. Ocasio-Cortez lauded the program, likening it to her Medicaid for all proposal in the Green New Deal.
We invite @AOC to a polite conversation about just how bad the VA healthcare system, and some of its employees, can… https://t.co/BRsgFwkSSN— Coming Home Well (@Coming Home Well)1556063955.0
"They are trying to fix the VA for pharmaceutical companies, they are trying to fix the VA for insurance corporations, and, ultimately, they are trying to fix the VA for a for-profit healthcare industry that does not put people or veterans first," Ocasio-Cortez said.
"Problems and inconsistencies like that are the definition of a system that needs fixing," Roe shot back in a statement. "I am baffled as to how Rep. Ocasio-Cortez fails to see that."
.@AOC & every politician should have to get their healthcare from the #VA. All the healthcare issues that veterans… https://t.co/3vI2oLwilz— Sean Parnell (@Sean Parnell)1556021992.0
@HuntsmanAbby @MeghanMcCain @AOC It was not the result of the care. The care is superior. However, the antiquated s… https://t.co/jx2ewZ9tNw— Texas Y’all (@Texas Y’all)1555982982.0
Even as he sided with Ocasio-Cortez, Trump tried to take credit for improving access to healthcare for veterans. In Trump's tweet, he says the Trump administration "got Veterans Choice & Accountability passed." In actuality, the Veteran's Choice Act had nothing to do with the Trump administration at all - it was passed by Barack Obama in 2014.
@realDonaldTrump https://t.co/484hG7ZhOm— Nancy C Robertson (@Nancy C Robertson)1556128364.0
@realDonaldTrump You mean the Veterans Choice & Accountability Act that passed in 2014? That one? The one Obama signed?— Thor Benson (@Thor Benson)1556128454.0
@iTalkiChadwick @realDonaldTrump https://t.co/q2Sw5nsVmN— Nick H. (@Nick H.)1556125708.0
Trump did sign a bill to continue the VCA program in 2018, which he has conflated with signing initial bill on several occasions.
@realDonaldTrump Fun fact: 👇 https://t.co/eTWFGEtBKh— Kathy Nole (@Kathy Nole)1556129963.0
"If we really want to fix the VA so badly, let’s start hiring, and fill up some of those 49,000 [staff] vacancies," Ocasio-Cortez said. Pretty sure Trump didn't listen to that part of her speech before he sided with her about veteran's care.
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