Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) used her Twitter feed on Monday to show voters how corporate lobbyists influence legislators.
The freshman lawmaker shared an Intercept report about a resort event that was attended by dozens of senior staffers of both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. The party was filled with music, wine and talking points from health care industry lobbyists who urged the staffers to fight Medicare for All proposals.
“This event wasn’t about fixing the health care system,” Wendell Potter, president of Business Initiative for Health Policy, told the Intercept. “It was about protecting the health care industry, no matter the cost to patients, families, workers or employers.”
Ocasio-Cortez said this was just business as usual for much of Washington as lobbyists “schmooze policymakers in secret” into accepting their industry-friendly talking points to stay on message:
Earlier this year, Ocasio-Cortez had a viral moment after she shined a light on PACs, “dark money” and the shady world of campaign finance:
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