Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in a series of tweets on Monday called out her colleagues who oppose $2,000 direct coronavirus relief payments to Americans, asking lawmakers to "err on the side of helping people" as the House voted to increase the aid from the $600 approved last week.
"Notice how Republican Congressmen who like to claim they are the party of 'personal responsibility' refuse to take any responsibility themselves for blocking retroactive unemployment benefits, voting against $2k survival checks, stoking doubt about the pandemic to begin with, etc," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in one of several tweets.
Notice how Republican Congressmen who like to claim they are the party of "personal responsibility" refuse to take any responsibility themselves for blocking retroactive unemployment benefits, voting against $2k survival checks, stoking doubt about the pandemic to begin with, etc- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 28, 2020
The House voted 275-134 Monday evening to up the size of coronavirus aid checks to taxpayers, sending the measure, which is supported by President Trump, to the Senate.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced his intention to pass the legislation on Tuesday if no Republican lawmakers try to block the action, which is likely.
Bloomberg congressional reporter Erik Wasson tweeted that Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader (Ore.) is against the payments, reportedly saying, "People who are making six figure incomes and who have not been impact by Covid-19 do not need checks."
Ocasio-Cortez retweeted Wasson, pointing out that aid is set to phase out for people who make more than $75,000.
"Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions," she asked, listing multiple reasons she believed Schrader was wrong for opposing the checks. "If you're going to err, err on the side of helping people."
1st of all, aid starts phasing out at $75k
2. it's already tied to outdated income info, don't make it worse
3. Ppl who made $100k+ also had income disrupted
4. Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions
5. If you're going to err, err on the side of helping people https://t.co/tBSuR99WLN- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 28, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez also called out Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) for reportedly saying people would only use the payments to pay off credit card debt or "new purchases online at Walmart, Best Buy or Amazon."
"I don't support $2k survival checks because it might help people get out of debt that our gov't inaction helped put or keep them in in the first place." - GOP Congressman https://t.co/BpfuvkKg9h- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 28, 2020
Fellow progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday said he would oppose the Senate's vote to override Trump's veto of the annual defense bill unless the direct payments measure gets a vote in the upper chamber.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clapped back at a GOP congressman who opposed $2,000 stimulus checks, parodying his reason for opposing them.
The House passed a bill boosting the stimulus check totals on Monday. The vote now moves to the Senate, where passage is unlikely.
GOP Rep. Kevin Brady said he opposed $2,000 stimulus checks because the money would go toward paying off credit card debt and "new purchases online at Wal-Mart, Best Buy or Amazon."
The congresswoman from New York replied to Brady's statement with a parodied rephrasing of his reasoning.
"'I don't support $2k survival checks because it might help people get out of debt that our gov't inaction helped put or keep them in in the first place.' - GOP Congressman," the progressive congresswoman tweeted Monday night.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clapped back at GOP congressman's reasoning against $2,000 stimulus checks in a tweet Monday night.
President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan coronavirus relief package on Sunday, which included $600 stimulus payments for Americans, $300 weekly federal unemployment benefits into mid-March, $25 billion in rental assistance, as well as aid for small businesses and funding for education and vaccine distribution.
Upon announcing that he signed the bill, the president also reiterated his calls on Congress to raise the stimulus checks to $2,000 - a goal he shares with many Democrats and some Republicans.
On Monday, the House achieved the required two-thirds majority to pass a bill boosting the stimulus check totals.
The bill now moves to the GOP-controlled Senate, where it is unlikely to pass. Though some in the GOP, like Sen. Marco Rubio, have signaled they support $2,000 checks.
Video: Trump urges $2,000 COVID stimulus payments (FOX News)
Read more: Trump signs bipartisan coronavirus relief bill after calling on Congress to approve $2,000 stimulus checks
Some GOP voices, however, oppose the $2,000 stimulus checks. GOP Rep. Kevin Brady said on the House floor that he did not approve of increasing the stimulus checks, saying that the money would go toward paying off credit card debt and "new purchases online at Wal-Mart, Best Buy or Amazon."
He argued that the money should be spent on helping small and mid-sized businesses. His speech was then paraphrased in a tweet by HuffPost's Matt Fuller.
Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent progressive voice and advocate for increasing the stimulus checks, slammed Brady's reasoning behind his opposition, replying to his statement with a parodied rephrasing.
"'I don't support $2k survival checks because it might help people get out of debt that our gov't inaction helped put or keep them in in the first place.' - GOP Congressman," the progressive congresswoman tweeted Monday night.
In another tweet, Ocasio-Cortez tore into the group of GOP members who opposed lines of the package pushed by House Democrats, including the $2,000 stimulus checks.
"Notice how Republican Congressmen who like to claim they are the party of 'personal responsibility' refuse to take any responsibility themselves for blocking retroactive unemployment benefits, voting against $2k survival checks, stoking doubt about the pandemic to begin with, etc," the New York congresswoman wrote.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has spoken out against a fellow Democrat who broke with the party in opposing an amendment to increase COVID-19 relief payments to $2,000, which passed in the House on Monday.
"Notice how Republican Congressmen who like to claim they are the party of 'personal responsibility' refuse to take any responsibility themselves for blocking retroactive unemployment benefits, voting against $2k survival checks, stoking doubt about the pandemic to begin with, etc," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in one of several tweets.
Notice how Republican Congressmen who like to claim they are the party of "personal responsibility" refuse to take any responsibility themselves for blocking retroactive unemployment benefits, voting against $2k survival checks, stoking doubt about the pandemic to begin with, etc- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 28, 2020
The House voted 275-134 Monday evening to up the size of coronavirus aid checks to taxpayers, sending the measure, which is supported by President Trump, to the Senate.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced his intention to pass the legislation on Tuesday if no Republican lawmakers try to block the action, which is likely.
Bloomberg congressional reporter Erik Wasson tweeted that Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader (Ore.) is against the payments, reportedly saying, "People who are making six figure incomes and who have not been impact by Covid-19 do not need checks."
Ocasio-Cortez retweeted Wasson, pointing out that aid is set to phase out for people who make more than $75,000.
"Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions," she asked, listing multiple reasons she believed Schrader was wrong for opposing the checks. "If you're going to err, err on the side of helping people."
1st of all, aid starts phasing out at $75k
2. it's already tied to outdated income info, don't make it worse
3. Ppl who made $100k+ also had income disrupted
4. Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions
5. If you're going to err, err on the side of helping people https://t.co/tBSuR99WLN- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 28, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez also called out Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) for reportedly saying people would only use the payments to pay off credit card debt or "new purchases online at Walmart, Best Buy or Amazon."
"I don't support $2k survival checks because it might help people get out of debt that our gov't inaction helped put or keep them in in the first place." - GOP Congressman https://t.co/BpfuvkKg9h- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 28, 2020
Fellow progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Monday said he would oppose the Senate's vote to override Trump's veto of the annual defense bill unless the direct payments measure gets a vote in the upper chamber.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez parodied GOP stance against $2,000 stimulus checks in a sarcastic tweet
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attends a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Wednesday, July 17, 2019. Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clapped back at a GOP congressman who opposed $2,000 stimulus checks, parodying his reason for opposing them.
The House passed a bill boosting the stimulus check totals on Monday. The vote now moves to the Senate, where passage is unlikely.
GOP Rep. Kevin Brady said he opposed $2,000 stimulus checks because the money would go toward paying off credit card debt and "new purchases online at Wal-Mart, Best Buy or Amazon."
The congresswoman from New York replied to Brady's statement with a parodied rephrasing of his reasoning.
"'I don't support $2k survival checks because it might help people get out of debt that our gov't inaction helped put or keep them in in the first place.' - GOP Congressman," the progressive congresswoman tweeted Monday night.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clapped back at GOP congressman's reasoning against $2,000 stimulus checks in a tweet Monday night.
President Donald Trump signed the bipartisan coronavirus relief package on Sunday, which included $600 stimulus payments for Americans, $300 weekly federal unemployment benefits into mid-March, $25 billion in rental assistance, as well as aid for small businesses and funding for education and vaccine distribution.
Upon announcing that he signed the bill, the president also reiterated his calls on Congress to raise the stimulus checks to $2,000 - a goal he shares with many Democrats and some Republicans.
On Monday, the House achieved the required two-thirds majority to pass a bill boosting the stimulus check totals.
The bill now moves to the GOP-controlled Senate, where it is unlikely to pass. Though some in the GOP, like Sen. Marco Rubio, have signaled they support $2,000 checks.
Video: Trump urges $2,000 COVID stimulus payments (FOX News)
Read more: Trump signs bipartisan coronavirus relief bill after calling on Congress to approve $2,000 stimulus checks
Some GOP voices, however, oppose the $2,000 stimulus checks. GOP Rep. Kevin Brady said on the House floor that he did not approve of increasing the stimulus checks, saying that the money would go toward paying off credit card debt and "new purchases online at Wal-Mart, Best Buy or Amazon."
He argued that the money should be spent on helping small and mid-sized businesses. His speech was then paraphrased in a tweet by HuffPost's Matt Fuller.
Ocasio-Cortez, a prominent progressive voice and advocate for increasing the stimulus checks, slammed Brady's reasoning behind his opposition, replying to his statement with a parodied rephrasing.
"'I don't support $2k survival checks because it might help people get out of debt that our gov't inaction helped put or keep them in in the first place.' - GOP Congressman," the progressive congresswoman tweeted Monday night.
In another tweet, Ocasio-Cortez tore into the group of GOP members who opposed lines of the package pushed by House Democrats, including the $2,000 stimulus checks.
"Notice how Republican Congressmen who like to claim they are the party of 'personal responsibility' refuse to take any responsibility themselves for blocking retroactive unemployment benefits, voting against $2k survival checks, stoking doubt about the pandemic to begin with, etc," the New York congresswoman wrote.
Read the original article on Business Insider
'Err on the Side of Helping People': AOC Slams Blue Dog Democrat for Opposing $2,000 Relief Checks
"Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions?" the congresswoman asked, after Rep. Kurt Schrader claimed direct payments would provide too much support to people "making six figure incomes."
Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.
"Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions?" the congresswoman asked, after Rep. Kurt Schrader claimed direct payments would provide too much support to people "making six figure incomes."
by Kenny Stancil, staff writer
Published on Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Published on Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Common Dreams
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is seen on the House steps of the Capitol on December 4, 2020. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York pilloried Rep. Kurt Schrader after the Oregon Democrat voted against an amendment to increase one-time direct payments to most Americans from $600 to $2,000, which passed the House on Monday when 44 Republicans joined 231 Democrats in supporting the bill now awaiting action in the Senate.
Schrader opposed the Caring for Americans With Supplemental Help (CASH) Act because, according to the lawmaker—whose net worth hovered close to $8 million in 2018—"people who are making six figure incomes and who have not been impact[ed] by Covid-19 do not need checks."
Just over an hour after voicing his disapproval of bigger relief checks for the majority of U.S. households, Schrader voted in favor of overriding President Donald Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), greenlighting more than $740 billion in military spending for fiscal year 2021—and perfectly encapsulating what the ostensibly centrist, national security-minded Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of Democratic lawmakers to which Schrader belongs, means by "fiscal responsibility."
"First of all, aid starts phasing out at $75,000," Ocasio-Cortez began in her rebuttal to Schrader's statement, which was riddled with erroneous assertions. "It's already tied to outdated income information, don't make it worse," she continued, alluding to the fact that eligibility is based on 2019 tax returns.
Although individuals with incomes in the six-figure range are in fact not eligible for a full relief check, contrary to what Schrader suggested, Ocasio-Cortez reminded the Blue Dog Democrat that people who made $100,000 or more "also had income disrupted." Besides, she asked, "Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions?"
1st of all, aid starts phasing out at $75k
2. it’s already tied to outdated income info, don’t make it worse
3. Ppl who made $100k+ also had income disrupted
4. Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions
5. If you’re going to err, err on the side of helping people https://t.co/tBSuR99WLN— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 28, 2020
According to Schrader, the CASH Act "is an ineffective and poorly targeted approach to aiding Americans in distress." He described the measure as "clearly a last-minute political maneuver by the president and extremists on both sides of the political spectrum, who have been largely absent during months of very hard negotiations."
Schrader was one of two House Democrats to vote against the amendment to increase relief checks from $600 to $2,000. He was joined by outgoing Rep. Daniel Lipinski of Illinois and both voted to override Trump's NDAA veto, along with 210 other Democratic representatives.
As Common Dreams reported Tuesday, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Monday night applauded the 20 House Democrats who "had the courage... to vote no on the bloated defense budget," which he said contributes to "changing the culture of endless war and calling for more investment instead in the American people."
Schrader took a misleading jab at left-leaning lawmakers, accusing them of choosing "to tweet their opinions instead of coming to the table to get aid in the hands of Americans and small businesses that need it most," a bizzare claim given that direct payments to struggling people were "not even on the table" prior to the efforts of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the Congressional Progressive Caucus to which Ocasio-Cortez belongs.
In addition to correcting the false information underlying Schrader's stated reasons for opposing the CASH Act, Ocasio-Cortez told the conservative lawmaker: "If you're going to err, err on the side of helping people."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is seen on the House steps of the Capitol on December 4, 2020. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York pilloried Rep. Kurt Schrader after the Oregon Democrat voted against an amendment to increase one-time direct payments to most Americans from $600 to $2,000, which passed the House on Monday when 44 Republicans joined 231 Democrats in supporting the bill now awaiting action in the Senate.
Schrader opposed the Caring for Americans With Supplemental Help (CASH) Act because, according to the lawmaker—whose net worth hovered close to $8 million in 2018—"people who are making six figure incomes and who have not been impact[ed] by Covid-19 do not need checks."
Just over an hour after voicing his disapproval of bigger relief checks for the majority of U.S. households, Schrader voted in favor of overriding President Donald Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), greenlighting more than $740 billion in military spending for fiscal year 2021—and perfectly encapsulating what the ostensibly centrist, national security-minded Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of Democratic lawmakers to which Schrader belongs, means by "fiscal responsibility."
"First of all, aid starts phasing out at $75,000," Ocasio-Cortez began in her rebuttal to Schrader's statement, which was riddled with erroneous assertions. "It's already tied to outdated income information, don't make it worse," she continued, alluding to the fact that eligibility is based on 2019 tax returns.
Although individuals with incomes in the six-figure range are in fact not eligible for a full relief check, contrary to what Schrader suggested, Ocasio-Cortez reminded the Blue Dog Democrat that people who made $100,000 or more "also had income disrupted." Besides, she asked, "Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions?"
1st of all, aid starts phasing out at $75k
2. it’s already tied to outdated income info, don’t make it worse
3. Ppl who made $100k+ also had income disrupted
4. Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions
5. If you’re going to err, err on the side of helping people https://t.co/tBSuR99WLN— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 28, 2020
According to Schrader, the CASH Act "is an ineffective and poorly targeted approach to aiding Americans in distress." He described the measure as "clearly a last-minute political maneuver by the president and extremists on both sides of the political spectrum, who have been largely absent during months of very hard negotiations."
Schrader was one of two House Democrats to vote against the amendment to increase relief checks from $600 to $2,000. He was joined by outgoing Rep. Daniel Lipinski of Illinois and both voted to override Trump's NDAA veto, along with 210 other Democratic representatives.
As Common Dreams reported Tuesday, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) on Monday night applauded the 20 House Democrats who "had the courage... to vote no on the bloated defense budget," which he said contributes to "changing the culture of endless war and calling for more investment instead in the American people."
Schrader took a misleading jab at left-leaning lawmakers, accusing them of choosing "to tweet their opinions instead of coming to the table to get aid in the hands of Americans and small businesses that need it most," a bizzare claim given that direct payments to struggling people were "not even on the table" prior to the efforts of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the Congressional Progressive Caucus to which Ocasio-Cortez belongs.
In addition to correcting the false information underlying Schrader's stated reasons for opposing the CASH Act, Ocasio-Cortez told the conservative lawmaker: "If you're going to err, err on the side of helping people."
Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. Feel free to republish and share widely.
AOC Rails Against Democrat for Opposing $2,000 Stimulus Checks
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) has spoken out against a fellow Democrat who broke with the party in opposing an amendment to increase COVID-19 relief payments to $2,000, which passed in the House on Monday.
© Pool/Getty Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) appears remotely during a House Financial Services Committee oversight hearing in Washington, D.C. on December 2, 2020.
Ocasio-Cortez offered a list of remarks while responding to a tweet from Bloomberg reporter Erik Wasson, who quoted Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) saying that "people who are making six figure incomes and who have not been impact by Covid-19 do not need checks" during debate over the bill from the House floor.
"1st of all, aid starts phasing out at $75k," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, correctly noting that the legislation does not offer checks for individuals who are making "six figure incomes" as Schrader claimed.
"2. it's already tied to outdated income info, don't make it worse," she added. "3. Ppl who made $100k+ also had income disrupted ... 4. Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions .... 5. If you're going to err, err on the side of helping people."
1st of all, aid starts phasing out at $75k
2. it’s already tied to outdated income info, don’t make it worse
3. Ppl who made $100k+ also had income disrupted
4. Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions
5. If you’re going to err, err on the side of helping people https://t.co/tBSuR99WLN— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 28, 2020
Schrader is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of moderate Democrats in the House who espouse "fiscal responsibility," along with a host of other centrist policies. The politics of Ocasio-Cortez, one of the chamber's most prominent progressives, fall considerably to the left of Schrader.
The Democratic-controlled House passed the Caring for Americans with Supplemental Help (CASH) Act to amend the previously passed $600 relief checks, increasing them to $2,000, on Monday. The move came after President Donald Trump demanded that the amount in the initial bill, which he later signed, be increased by the same amount. Despite Trump's insistence, it is not clear that the Republican-controlled Senate will vote to approve the amendment.
A majority of House Democrats were joined by 44 Republicans who also voted in favor of the CASH Act, while Schrader was one of only two Democrats who opposed the measure. Schrader railed against the bill during debate before the vote, calling it a "political maneuver" by Trump and "extremist" Republicans and Democrats, while also taking aim at lawmakers who "tweet their opinions."
"This is an ineffective and poorly targeted approach to aiding Americans in distress," Schrader said. "It is clearly a last-minute political maneuver by the president and extremists on both sides of the political spectrum, who have been largely absent during months of very hard negotiations."
"They have chosen to tweet their opinions instead of coming to the table to get aid in the hands of Americans and small businesses that need it most," he added. "We've had nine months to fix this program to get it to people who need it most."
Newsweek reached out to Schrader's office for comment.
Ocasio-Cortez offered a list of remarks while responding to a tweet from Bloomberg reporter Erik Wasson, who quoted Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) saying that "people who are making six figure incomes and who have not been impact by Covid-19 do not need checks" during debate over the bill from the House floor.
"1st of all, aid starts phasing out at $75k," Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, correctly noting that the legislation does not offer checks for individuals who are making "six figure incomes" as Schrader claimed.
"2. it's already tied to outdated income info, don't make it worse," she added. "3. Ppl who made $100k+ also had income disrupted ... 4. Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions .... 5. If you're going to err, err on the side of helping people."
1st of all, aid starts phasing out at $75k
2. it’s already tied to outdated income info, don’t make it worse
3. Ppl who made $100k+ also had income disrupted
4. Is this really a good reason to block aid for millions
5. If you’re going to err, err on the side of helping people https://t.co/tBSuR99WLN— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 28, 2020
Schrader is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a caucus of moderate Democrats in the House who espouse "fiscal responsibility," along with a host of other centrist policies. The politics of Ocasio-Cortez, one of the chamber's most prominent progressives, fall considerably to the left of Schrader.
The Democratic-controlled House passed the Caring for Americans with Supplemental Help (CASH) Act to amend the previously passed $600 relief checks, increasing them to $2,000, on Monday. The move came after President Donald Trump demanded that the amount in the initial bill, which he later signed, be increased by the same amount. Despite Trump's insistence, it is not clear that the Republican-controlled Senate will vote to approve the amendment.
A majority of House Democrats were joined by 44 Republicans who also voted in favor of the CASH Act, while Schrader was one of only two Democrats who opposed the measure. Schrader railed against the bill during debate before the vote, calling it a "political maneuver" by Trump and "extremist" Republicans and Democrats, while also taking aim at lawmakers who "tweet their opinions."
"This is an ineffective and poorly targeted approach to aiding Americans in distress," Schrader said. "It is clearly a last-minute political maneuver by the president and extremists on both sides of the political spectrum, who have been largely absent during months of very hard negotiations."
"They have chosen to tweet their opinions instead of coming to the table to get aid in the hands of Americans and small businesses that need it most," he added. "We've had nine months to fix this program to get it to people who need it most."
Newsweek reached out to Schrader's office for comment.
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