- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley clashed on Twitter over government funding for struggling Americans amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
- Ocasio-Cortez tweeted earlier Thursday, suggesting that, in order to get the recent COVID-19 surges “under control, we need to pay people to stay home.”
- Haley, a former GOP governor of South Carolina and UN ambassador, responded, asking her where she expects to get the funds to “pay” people to quarantine.
- A second COVID-19 stimulus bill has been stalled in Congress as Democrats and GOP members fail to come to a consensus on a package.
- Both parties have proposed their own bills, which have subsequently been shut down by the other.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former UN ambassador Nikki Haley clashed on Twitter on Thursday over government funds towards COVID-19 relief.
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted earlier Thursday, suggesting that, in order to get the recent COVID-19 surges “under control, we need to pay people to stay home.”
Haley, a former GOP governor of South Carolina who spoke at the Republican National Convention earlier this year, responded to the progressive congresswoman’s tweet, asking her where she expects to get the funds to “pay” people to quarantine.
“AOC, Are you suggesting you want to pay people to stay home from the money you take by defunding the police?” Haley replied. “Or was that for the student debts you wanted to pay off, the Green New Deal or Medicare for All?”
Ocasio-Cortez tore into Haley and other Republicans in Congress in her reply.
“Nikki, I’m suggesting Republicans find the spine to stand up to their corporate donors & vote for the same measures they did in March, except without the Wall St bailout this time,” she wrote. “And I know you’re confused abt actual governance but police budgets are municipal, not federal.”
“Utterly embarrassing that this woman was a governor & still doesn’t have a grasp on public investment. Wonder if she says federal financing works like a piggy bank or household too?” Ocasio-Cortez continued. “All this faux-seriousness from folks who worship Trump for running the country like his casino.”
Congress initially passed the CARES Act with bipartisan support in March at the onset of the pandemic but has since struggled to come to a consensus on a follow-up stimulus package. A second COVID-19 stimulus bill has been stalled in Congress as Democrats and GOP members fail to come to a consensus on a package. Both parties have proposed their own bills, which have subsequently been shut down by the other.
Before the election, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had been in talks with Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to negotiate a second bill. The White House had been inconsistent with its messaging, with President Donald Trump at times shutting down talks and other times demanding a larger bill than the Democrats’ plan.
Following the election, the Trump administration has stepped back from stimulus bill talks, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has since revived the negotiations with Pelosi.
Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also spoke with President-elect Joe Biden last week to discuss the growing need to distribute aid to Americans bearing the brunt of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
President Donald Trump still has yet to concede the 2020 election, which has been called by a number of media outlets. The General Services Administration, which reserves the power to begin the formal transition between administrations, still has yet to publicly acknowledge Biden’s win.
