Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) fired back on Monday at colleagues who opposed increasing direct stimulus payments to Americans for coronavirus relief.
The House passed legislation Monday to increase stimulus checks to $2,000 for most Americans. Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) said he opposed the increased amount because it would go toward people paying down credit card debt or making “new purchases online at Walmart, Best Buy or Amazon.”
Ocasio-Cortez, who has long advocated for higher direct payments, mocked the Republican’s take, pointing to Congress’ monthslong delay in providing desperately needed pandemic aid.
President Donald Trump signed the stimulus package that included $600 checks to Americans on Sunday, but he requested the amount be increased to $2,000.
The House passed a bill 275-134 Monday to do so. It now moves through the GOP-controlled Senate, where its fate is questionable.
Ocasio-Cortez followed up with a second tweet slamming Republicans who opposed the increased stimulus and other components of the package.
“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,” she wrote.
The progressive also fact-checked Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader, a Democrat, who voted against the bill.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) requested unanimous consent to quickly pass the change to the bill on Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) blocked the effort, though the legislation could still be voted on at a later time.