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Ocasio-Cortez Joins Financial Services Committee, 'Looking Forward' to Examining ICE

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Freshman Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York announced on Twitter Tuesday that she has been assigned to the House Financial Services Committee, which is chaired by California Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

The influential committee oversees the banking and insurance industries, public and private housing, and urban development among other matters.

Fox News reported that fellow freshmen Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Katie Porter of California have also been tapped for the committee.

“Financial Services is one of just four exclusive committees in the House. It oversees big banks, lending, & the financial sector,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

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“I am very grateful for the opportunity to sit on this committee as a freshman, and look forward to working under the leadership of @RepMaxineWaters!” she continued.

In a subsequent tweet, the self-described Democratic socialist wrote, “Personally, I’m looking forward to digging into the student loan crisis, examining for-profit prisons/ICE detention, and exploring the development of public & postal banking. To start.”

Tlaib — who made headlines the day she was sworn-in by calling President Donald Trump a “motherf—er” and promising to impeach him — retweeted an announcement by a group called Justice Democrats confirming the committee assignment.

“Now our movement has a voice to take on the greed and recklessness on Wall Street. We’ll fight to protect tenants & families from evictions. We’ll stop them from plundering our communities,” the tweet reads.

The organization describes itself as part of a movement that helped elect Ocasio-Cortez and aims to transform the Democratic Party.

Twenty-nine-year-old Ocasio-Cortez has made no secret of her progressive views when it comes regulating banks and targeting corporations as a negative influence in American life.

Her campaign website blames Wall Street banks for denying Americans affordable housing and corporations for blocking needed climate change laws.

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Ocasio-Cortez strongly believes in wealth redistribution. She has called for a return of the top tax rate to 70 percent from its current 37 percent. The top rate prior to the Republican tax law passed in December 2017 had been 39.6 percent.

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The liberal lawmaker wants to launch new federal entitlement programs, including Medicare for all, “housing as a human right,” a federal jobs guarantee and tuition-free public college.

Waters, who has on multiple occasions called for Trump’s impeachment, has promised to aggressively oppose his policies from her new post.

According to Fox, one of the top priorities on the congresswoman’s agenda is to counteract the Trump administration’s rollback of the Dodd-Frank legislation, which relates to regulating the banking industry.

“Make no mistake, come January, in this committee, the days of this committee weakening regulations and putting our economy once again at risk of another financial crisis will come to an end,” Waters said last year.

The Democrat, on her own, will not be able to reverse any of Trump’s regulatory changes or pass new laws, but Waters could use her power to block or demand concessions from the administration concerning its legislative agenda going forward.

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Randy DeSoto has written more than 2,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths" and screenwriter of the political documentary "I Want Your Money."
Randy DeSoto is the senior staff writer for The Western Journal. He wrote and was the assistant producer of the documentary film "I Want Your Money" about the perils of Big Government, comparing the presidencies of Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama. Randy is the author of the book "We Hold These Truths," which addresses how leaders have appealed to beliefs found in the Declaration of Independence at defining moments in our nation's history. He has been published in several political sites and newspapers.

Randy graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a BS in political science and Regent University School of Law with a juris doctorate.
Birthplace
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated dean's list from West Point
Education
United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law
Books Written
We Hold These Truths
Professional Memberships
Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars
Location
Phoenix, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Entertainment, Faith




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