Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was the lone House Democrat to vote against a bill to reopen the government on Wednesday, a position she described as “a tough/nuanced call,” The Hill reported.
The short-term measure included funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which Ocasio-Cortez explained in an Instagram story is opposed by many people she represents.
“Most of our votes are pretty straightforward, but today was a tough/nuanced call,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “We didn’t vote with the party because one of the spending bills included ICE funding and our community felt strongly about not funding that.”
The vote offered the unusual situation of Ocasio-Cortez siding with 183 Republicans to reject the resolution. Meanwhile, 223 Democrats and six Republicans voted yes.
Ocasio-Cortez also voted “no” on Wednesday to a larger funding package for government agencies, though it did not include Homeland Security, according to Newsweek.
Ocasio-Cortez received flak from critics on the left for voting earlier this month to approve stopgap funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which included allocations for ICE. That measure also aimed to end the shutdown, but was rejected by President Donald Trump because it did not include $5.7 billion for his promised border wall.
Wednesday’s House measure, lacking support in the Senate or with Trump, will likely never see the light of day, either.
Ocasio-Cortez’s New York City district includes many Latinos, some of whom are fearful or resentful of ICE. On the campaign trail, she called for the abolition of ICE.
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