Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks on the House floor on Friday, March 27, 2020. (Photo: CSPAN/Screengrab)
'There Should Be Shame': Watch Ocasio-Cortez Excoriate GOP Over Massive Corporate Bailouts in Coronavirus Bill
"What did the Senate majority fight for? One of the largest corporate bailouts, with as few strings as possible, in American history."
In an impassioned speech on the House floor Friday just ahead of a vote on the Senate-passed coronavirus stimulus bill, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Republican senators should be ashamed of fighting for the inclusion of trillions of dollars in corporate bailout money while providing little more than "crumbs for our families."
"There should be shame about what was fought for in this bill and the choices that we have to make."
--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
"We have to go into this vote eyes wide open," Ocasio-Cortez said. "What did the Senate majority fight for? One of the largest corporate bailouts, with as few strings as possible, in American history. Shameful."
Noting that she represents desperate communities in New York City--now the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic--Ocasio-Cortez excoriated Republican leaders for presenting lawmakers with an impossible choice: Do nothing for people in dire need of financial assistance or provide a small amount of relief alongside massive bailouts for large corporations.
"The greed of that fight is wrong," said the New York Democrat. "And the option that we have is to either let them suffer with nothing, or to allow this greed and billions of dollars--which will be leveraged into trillions of dollars--to contribute to the largest income inequality gap in our future. There should be shame about what was fought for in this bill and the choices that we have to make."
Watch:
With the vote on the bill expected later Friday, Ocasio-Cortez seemed to indicate she would vote in favor of it but clearly signaled--as have other progressives both inside and outside of Congress--that much more must be done to meet the urgent health and financial needs of the American people and vulnerable populations with additional legislation in the near future.
"Though the CARES Act will alleviate hardship for millions, it does not fully protect U.S. workers and their families from the economic consequences of the coronavirus, and it will not set the stage for the economy to reboot quickly once the public health crisis ends," said Thea M. Lee, president of the Economic Policy Institute, in a statement on Friday.
"Further help from policymakers will clearly be needed and should address these urgent gaps in scale and design," Lee added. "And we should keep in mind that deep and permanent structural reforms are needed in our social safety net, health care system, emergency preparedness, and worker protections, well beyond the immediate crisis response."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just two days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
In an impassioned speech on the House floor Friday just ahead of a vote on the Senate-passed coronavirus stimulus bill, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Republican senators should be ashamed of fighting for the inclusion of trillions of dollars in corporate bailout money while providing little more than "crumbs for our families."
"There should be shame about what was fought for in this bill and the choices that we have to make."
--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
"We have to go into this vote eyes wide open," Ocasio-Cortez said. "What did the Senate majority fight for? One of the largest corporate bailouts, with as few strings as possible, in American history. Shameful."
Noting that she represents desperate communities in New York City--now the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic--Ocasio-Cortez excoriated Republican leaders for presenting lawmakers with an impossible choice: Do nothing for people in dire need of financial assistance or provide a small amount of relief alongside massive bailouts for large corporations.
"The greed of that fight is wrong," said the New York Democrat. "And the option that we have is to either let them suffer with nothing, or to allow this greed and billions of dollars--which will be leveraged into trillions of dollars--to contribute to the largest income inequality gap in our future. There should be shame about what was fought for in this bill and the choices that we have to make."
Watch:
With the vote on the bill expected later Friday, Ocasio-Cortez seemed to indicate she would vote in favor of it but clearly signaled--as have other progressives both inside and outside of Congress--that much more must be done to meet the urgent health and financial needs of the American people and vulnerable populations with additional legislation in the near future.
"Though the CARES Act will alleviate hardship for millions, it does not fully protect U.S. workers and their families from the economic consequences of the coronavirus, and it will not set the stage for the economy to reboot quickly once the public health crisis ends," said Thea M. Lee, president of the Economic Policy Institute, in a statement on Friday.
"Further help from policymakers will clearly be needed and should address these urgent gaps in scale and design," Lee added. "And we should keep in mind that deep and permanent structural reforms are needed in our social safety net, health care system, emergency preparedness, and worker protections, well beyond the immediate crisis response."
In an impassioned speech on the House floor Friday just ahead of a vote on the Senate-passed coronavirus stimulus bill, New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Republican senators should be ashamed of fighting for the inclusion of trillions of dollars in corporate bailout money while providing little more than "crumbs for our families."
"There should be shame about what was fought for in this bill and the choices that we have to make."
--Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
"We have to go into this vote eyes wide open," Ocasio-Cortez said. "What did the Senate majority fight for? One of the largest corporate bailouts, with as few strings as possible, in American history. Shameful."
Noting that she represents desperate communities in New York City--now the epicenter of the U.S. coronavirus pandemic--Ocasio-Cortez excoriated Republican leaders for presenting lawmakers with an impossible choice: Do nothing for people in dire need of financial assistance or provide a small amount of relief alongside massive bailouts for large corporations.
"The greed of that fight is wrong," said the New York Democrat. "And the option that we have is to either let them suffer with nothing, or to allow this greed and billions of dollars--which will be leveraged into trillions of dollars--to contribute to the largest income inequality gap in our future. There should be shame about what was fought for in this bill and the choices that we have to make."
Watch:
With the vote on the bill expected later Friday, Ocasio-Cortez seemed to indicate she would vote in favor of it but clearly signaled--as have other progressives both inside and outside of Congress--that much more must be done to meet the urgent health and financial needs of the American people and vulnerable populations with additional legislation in the near future.
"Though the CARES Act will alleviate hardship for millions, it does not fully protect U.S. workers and their families from the economic consequences of the coronavirus, and it will not set the stage for the economy to reboot quickly once the public health crisis ends," said Thea M. Lee, president of the Economic Policy Institute, in a statement on Friday.
"Further help from policymakers will clearly be needed and should address these urgent gaps in scale and design," Lee added. "And we should keep in mind that deep and permanent structural reforms are needed in our social safety net, health care system, emergency preparedness, and worker protections, well beyond the immediate crisis response."