"What did the Senate majority fight for? One of the largest corporate bailouts, with as few strings as possible, in American history."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) speaks on the House floor on Friday, March 27, 2020. (Photo: CSPAN/Screengrab)
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.
