New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sarah Sanders traded barbs over the congresswoman’s suggestion that employees should boycott returning to work during the coronavirus pandemic.
“When we have this discussion about ‘going back’ or ‘reopening’ — I think a lot of people should just say, ‘No, we’re not going back to that. We’re not going back to working 70-hour weeks just so that we can put food on the table and not even feel any sort of semblance of security in our lives,’” the Democratic lawmaker said on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Sanders criticized Ocasio-Cortez for suggesting that workers should not return to their jobs.
“.@AOC says Americans should boycott work. As usual she’s wrong,” Sanders tweeted. “The goal should be for Americans to SAFELY return to work because unlike AOC and members of Congress, most of us actually have to show up at work to get paid and support our families!”
Ocasio-Cortez responded with a personal attack against Sanders over her time as White House press secretary, writing, “Look who’s talking about showing up for work! The woman didn’t hold a press conference for months while holding a job as press sec. If you’re so supportive of this admin’s plan, why don’t you go out and try delivering groceries for a living w/o health insurance or mass testing?”
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Look who’s talking about showing up for work! The woman didn’t hold a press conference for months while holding a job as press sec.
If you’re so supportive of this admin’s plan, why don’t you go out and try delivering groceries for a living w/o health insurance or mass testing?
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 23, 2020
The congresswoman singled out Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who announced on Monday that he would allow businesses such as hair salons and gyms to reopen on Friday and that movie theaters and restaurants could begin offering in-person service next week. Ocasio-Cortez condemned Kemp’s plan and said that President Trump doesn’t have a strategy to reopen the economy safely.
“Trump has NO PLAN to get people safely back to work. GOP Govs like Kemp are sending vulnerable workers to die w/ false claims of safety,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “Trump also pushed an unproven, dangerous treatment as a ‘cure’ & firing experts who want to vet claims. Last thing you care abt is safety.”
She added, “And by the way, setting up vulnerable workers to grind 70 hours a week to barely survive and STILL not have health insurance is unsafe too.”
And by the way, setting up vulnerable workers to grind 70 hours a week to barely survive and STILL not have health insurance is unsafe too.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 23, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez represents one of the hardest-hit districts in New York, a state that has suffered one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the world. As of Thursday, 46,972 U.S. citizens have died after contracting the coronavirus. More than 26 million jobless claims have been made in the past five weeks, according to the Labor Department.
