Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., isn’t having any of a fellow freshman’s cheeky swipe at her idea to hike the marginal tax rate of the country’s wealthiest people up to 70 percent.
Ocasio-Cortez clashed with Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, on Twitter on Monday when the SEAL veteran poked fun of the liberal firebrand’s suggestion for taxing individuals earning more than $10 million in a Super Bowl-inspired tweet.
“Should someone propose a 70% tax on the Patriots so that NFL competition is more fair and equal? Asking for a friend,” Crenshaw wrote.
Ocasio-Cortez replied: “The average NFL salary is $2.1 million, so most players would never experience a 70% rate. The owners who refuse to hire Kaepernick would, though.” Colin Kaepernick is the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who started a string of controversial protests over police brutality and racial injustice during the national anthem before NFL games.
[Related: Is Dan Crenshaw the GOP’s Ocasio-Cortez?]
The average NFL salary is $2.1 million, so most players would never experience a 70% rate.
The owners who refuse to hire Kaepernick would, though. https://t.co/AnST2lCiU9
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 4, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez’s take on taxes has sparked debate within the 2020 Democratic primary field as some candidates side with her position, while other contenders such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts push their own stance. Warren is advocating for households with a net worth of more than $50 million to be taxed at a rate starting at a 2 percent, rising to 3 percent for billionaire households.
Like Ocasio-Cortez, Crenshaw is one of the more high-profile freshman lawmakers seated as part of the 116th Congress.
