New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ran a victory lap after Amazon announced that they were purchasing office space in New York City without any of the subsidies that were offered in the previous deal.
Last year, Ocasio-Cortez expressed outrage when Amazon announced it would split its new headquarters, HQ2, between New York City and northern Virginia. She was frustrated that New York officials had promised the corporation tax breaks to entice them to choose their state for the new campus.
“Amazon is a billion-dollar company. The idea that it will receive hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks at a time when our subway is crumbling and our communities need MORE investment, not less, is extremely concerning to residents here,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted at the time. After the outrage fanned by the congresswoman, Amazon pulled its HQ2 from New York.
On Friday, Amazon announced that it would still be opening an office in New York City without the subsidies that had previously been promised, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Ocasio-Cortez took the announcement as a personal victory. She tweeted, “Won’t you look at that: Amazon is coming to NYC anyway – without requiring the public to finance shady deals, helipad handouts for Jeff Bezos, [and] corporate giveaways. Maybe the Trump admin should focus more on cutting public assistance to billionaires instead of poor families.”
She also questioned when her “haters” would apologize for criticizing her for chasing Amazon away the first time.
Won’t you look at that: Amazon is coming to NYC anyway – *without* requiring the public to finance shady deals, helipad handouts for Jeff Bezos, & corporate giveaways.
Maybe the Trump admin should focus more on cutting public assistance to billionaires instead of poor families. https://t.co/BbqhXbB9MM
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 6, 2019
Me waiting on the haters to apologize after we were proven right on Amazon and saved the public billions https://t.co/AC64pG0nZI pic.twitter.com/xzCepkX4AV
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 6, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez, 30, represents parts of Queens and the Bronx in Congress. HQ2 was originally going to be located in Queens. The recently purchased office space for the company is located in midtown Manhattan.
