Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Thursday said the country needs a Democratic Party that is prepared to fight to stop President Donald Trump from enacting his sweeping agenda.
At an event with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in Las Vegas, Ocasio-Cortez called out Republicans for enabling people like Elon Musk to advance their priorities, adding that the U.S. “political system right now is ill-prepared for this abuse of power.”
But Ocasio-Cortez said the challenge at hand goes far beyond just opposing the GOP.
“This isn’t just about Republicans,” she said. “We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us too. But what that means is that we as a community must choose and vote for Democrats and elected officials who know how to stand for the working class.”
The congresswoman praised the Nevada Democrats who opposed a GOP spending bill that cleared both chambers of Congress last week, adding that the party needs more people “like them with the courage to brawl for the working class.”
“I want you to look at every level of office around and support brawlers who fight because those are the ones who can actually win against Republicans,” she said.
Ocasio-Cortez was among the Democrats who voted against the Republican spending plan that was signed into law by Trump on Saturday. The congresswoman sharply criticized her fellow New York Democrat, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, for his decision to abandon his plans to filibuster the legislation even though all but one Democrat opposed the bill in the House, calling it a “tremendous mistake.”
“It is is almost unthinkable why Senate Democrats would vote to hand the few pieces of leverage that we have away for free when we’ve been sent here to protect Social Security, protect Medicaid and protect Medicare,” she told CNN last week.
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Schumer has repeatedly defended his call to vote to advance the GOP spending bill, noting that a government shutdown would have made matters worse.
Ocasio-Cortez is joining Sanders on a tour across Nevada, Colorado and Arizona this week, titled “Fighting Oligarchy,” which involves holding town halls with working class Americans who are upset over the direction of the country.
She also took aim at Trump White House counselor Alina Habba after the latter mocked the congresswoman’s time in the service industry during an appearance on Fox News last week.
