Cruz Draws Attention with Offer To Aid Ocasio-Cortez on Birth Control Bill
A partnership between the 2016 Republican presidential candidate who excoriated “New York values” and a Democrat legislator who personifies many of them may be in the offing on the tinderbox subject of birth control.
The potential partnership between Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York has its roots in a common goal that first brought the two together.
They each want to impose a lifetime ban so that former lawmakers cannot go through the revolving door to become lobbyists, and have taken preliminary steps to work together on the issue.
Here’s something I don’t say often: on this point, I AGREE with @AOC Indeed, I have long called for a LIFETIME BAN on former Members of Congress becoming lobbyists. The Swamp would hate it, but perhaps a chance for some bipartisan cooperation? https://t.co/jPW0xkH2Yy
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 30, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted a few days later that she believed birth control should be available over the counter.
Psst! ? Birth control should be over-the-counter, pass it on.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 7, 2019
Cruz then went equally public with an offer.
“I agree. Perhaps, in addition to the legislation we are already working on together to ban Members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, we can team up here as well. A simple, clean bill making birth control available over the counter. Interested?” he tweeted Wednesday.
I agree. Perhaps, in addition to the legislation we are already working on together to ban Members of Congress from becoming lobbyists, we can team up here as well. A simple, clean bill making birth control available over the counter. Interested? https://t.co/7kh3kqxN1w
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) June 12, 2019
Cruz’s tweet drew a lot of attention.
Because this personality has a track record of dangerous partisan stunts, so when he starts behaving in a bipartisan manner, there’s pretty good reason to doubt his motives.
That said, all he’s gotta do is follow through on these clean bills — then he can start earning goodwill
— John O’Sullivan (@ohsully42) June 12, 2019
Ted Frigging Cruz is involving himself in great bipartisanship ideas. Take a look #GOP, this is how government for the people is supposed to work.
Well done @tedcruz— Steve Rogers (@Stever83) June 12, 2019
As of Thursday morning, Ocasio-Cortez had not posted a reply.
However, Democrat Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts — like Ocasio-Cortez, a first-term legislator — replied to Cruz via Twitter saying his support of a Democrat bill is welcome.
And the tweet below earned a retweet from Ocasio-Cortez.
Hi there @tedcruz hit up our girl @pattymurray she and I have already written the bill, album dropping tomorrow ? @AOC‘s vocals (& original co sponsorship) = on point. @KatieHill4CA’s an original too. Just call it the Destiny’s Child of OTC birth control https://t.co/Ri2q1Viez4
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) June 12, 2019
“We’ve always believed affordable, accessible birth control isn’t just a women’s issue so look forward to you co-sponsoring, got a few good men on already including @RepBera M.D.,” Pressley added, referring to Democrat Rep. Ami Bera of California.
We’ve always believed affordable, accessible birth control isn’t just a women’s issue so look forward to you co-sponsoring, got a few good men on already including @RepBera M.D.
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) June 12, 2019
Republican Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Cory Gardner of Colorado have also proposed legislation in the Senate to make birth control available as an over-the-counter medicine, according to Yahoo News.
Access to birth control is currently regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which requires that a woman have a prescription to purchase birth control pills.
One issue in the debate over changing birth control from a prescription medicine to an over-the-counter drug is money.
GOP has been pushing this for several years to escape from the political problems of who should pay for birth control and its conflation with abortion debate. Hitch- it might end up costing women more because most insurers don’t cover OTC drugs. https://t.co/hBFC2Z6Ifj
— julie rovner (@jrovner) June 12, 2019
Republicans have “been pushing this for several years to escape from the political problems of who should pay for birth control and its conflation with abortion debate,” Julie Rovner, a health care reporter with Kaiser Health News, tweeted.
GOP has been pushing this for several years to escape from the political problems of who should pay for birth control and its conflation with abortion debate. Hitch- it might end up costing women more because most insurers don’t cover OTC drugs. https://t.co/hBFC2Z6Ifj
— julie rovner (@jrovner) June 12, 2019
Planned Parenthood opposes making birth control an over-the-counter medicine unless it is free.
Ocasio-Cortez shared part of that position on Twitter.
(It should be free, too – like in the UK!)
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 7, 2019
Cruz’s tweet made no mention of free birth control.
Cruz has taken unique positions before on the subject of birth control.
In 2015, while seeking the GOP nomination for president, he spoke to an Iowa audience about the ready availability of contraceptives in America to rebut Democrat claims that Republicans wanted to restrict access.
“Last I checked, we don’t have a rubber shortage in America,” Cruz said then, according to ABC News.
“Look, when I was in college, we had a machine in the bathroom, you put 50 cents in and voila. So, yes, anyone who wants contraceptives can access them, but it’s an utter made-up nonsense issue.”
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