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Ocasio-Cortez Fuming After Pelosi Abruptly Accepts McConnell's Border Bill

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has drawn the wrath of Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez by accepting that the only way to pass a bill funding humanitarian aid along the border was to accept a bipartisan Senate bill. That meant jettisoning a House bill far-left legislators wanted to use as a vehicle for their proposals.

The $4.6 billion humanitarian aid bill, which had passed the Senate 84-8 earlier Thursday, passed the House 305 to 102. As noted by The New York Times, the bill attracted only 129 Democrats in support as well as 176 Republicans.

The bill passed because moderate Democrats advocated passage over the spectacle of allowing agencies that were running out of money at the end of the month to do so. But that cut no ice with Ocasio-Cortez.

“Under no circumstances should the House vote for a McConnell-only bill w/ no negotiation with Democrats. Hell no. That’s an abdication of power we should refuse to accept. They will keep hurting kids if we do,” she tweeted.

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Pelosi tried to put the best face possible on the fractures in her party that led to the rare event of a bill passed by the majority-Republican Senate sailing through the Democrat-controlled House.

“In order to get resources to the children fastest, we will reluctantly pass the Senate bill. As we pass the Senate bill, we will do so with a battle cry as to how we go forward to protect children in a way that truly honors their dignity and worth,” she wrote House Democrats, according to The Times.

Trump tweeted his support of the bill.

The Times reported that Vice President Mike Pence told Pelosi that the administration would voluntarily accept some of the Democrats’ conditions, such as notifying Congress of a child’s death within 24 hours and capping at 90 days the time children spend in temporary detention.

But that did not stop progressives from railing against the bill and anyone who supported it. Ocasio-Cortez slammed McConnell.

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“His Senate bill is a militarization bill. McConnell killed the House Bill & dropped this one right before recess to force passage. Well, too bad. This is our job. Cancel vacation, fly the Senate in. Pass a clean humanitarian bill & stop trying to squeeze crises for more pain,” she tweeted, referring to the upcoming Fourth of July Congressional recess.

Other progressives also vented their outrage.

Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota referenced an image of a dead man and child who had tried to cross the Rio Grande and said Congress “did nothing to stop that from happening.”

“What we did today is continue to allow the atrocity to take place. We’ve sent money that we don’t know if it’s going to continue to be used to put proper beds, to buy toothpaste, to assist these children in any kind of way and their families,” she said, according to ABC.

Are progressives against getting things done?

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan said Senate Democrats should have blocked the bill in the house until a better bill emerged.

“If we’re not going to hold them accountable and say they have these set standards they have to abide buy, then how are we addressing the humanities crisis? We’re just throwing money at folks and not telling them exactly what they’re supposed to be doing with it,” she said.

Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin, co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, lashed out at the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, which wanted a vote on the Senate bill, which was ultimately what happened.

“Since when did the Problem Solvers Caucus become the Child Abuse Caucus? Wouldn’t they want to at least fight against contractors who run deplorable facilities? Kids are the only ones who could lose today,” Pocan wrote on Twitter.

Some Democrats said the time had come to accept reality and pass the bill.

“The Senate bill is a good bipartisan bill that passed overwhelmingly in the Senate,” said Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Florida, co-chair of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, according to Roll Call. “It is an emergency on the border right now. We need to get money to the border as soon as possible. The House needs to take up the Senate bill and pass it and get money to the border.”

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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




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