Ocasio-Cortez Would Vote Against Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Over Climate Change

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said she would vote against the bipartisan infrastructure bill over cuts in the social spending bill as Democratic leaders hope to vote on the public works legislation by the end of the week.

Progressive Democrats plan to oppose the infrastructure bill, which passed in the Senate in April unless a detailed agreement is reached in the larger social safety net package to address key issues like affordable housing and Medicare expansion. Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat from New York, said she couldn't vote for the bipartisan bill if the other whittled down legislation fails to address climate change.

Link to tweet

"We've had frameworks for six months. And we've seen how much those frameworks have changed, been taken back, etc. We need text. You know, we need text," she told CNN's Manu Raju on Wednesday outside the U.S. Capitol. "I think we can talk a little bit, there's flexibility around process, but we need confirmed text."

Raju clarified the congresswoman's stance: "So if this comes to the floor tomorrow, infrastructure bill—you're a no?"

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ocasio-cortez-would-vote-against-bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-over-climate-change/ar-AAQ1Dr6

[budkin]

1. I would too. Without a plan to stop climate change, literally nothing else matters

We have no time left to fuck around on climate. NONE.

[Hortensis]

38. Without DEMOCRATIC MAJORITIES, no stopping climate change.

Does anyone still imagine they will? They're trying to push civilization off a cliff, secure in the belief that God has a much nicer, gated community waiting for them. Only them.

[KPN]

56. We have a Democratic majority.

[Hortensis]

57. :) Against all evidence? Come on, KPN.

You must know perfectly well that functional majorities are required, and stopping climate change is an existential issue.

[themaguffin]

67. And yet, we don't

[Autumn]

2. I don't see how anyone with half a brain can ethically vote to increase U.S. climate emissions,

[Bettie]

8. So, she's the villain and

Manchin and Sinema are the 'good guys'.

It would be funny if it weren't so fucking sad.

[Autumn]

11. I don't have one problem with her "taking her ball and going home" . This planet is

the only fucking ball we have. And we are out of time.

[Bettie]

13. Apparently some people think that

there is another planet they can get to.

Climate change is about survival. FFS.

But, we both knew that no matter what happens, it's always the progressives' fault...

[Demsrule86]

65. And we may not get the ball for years...so I have a problem with anyone who votes no on this bill...

moderate or progressive. Compromise...get the best deal you can and then pass the bill...get something done. Consider what it will mean if we can't get judges now.

[Autumn]

69. You bet we won't have the ball for years. Come to think of it we wont have a damn thing unless

they act now. I don't have a single problem with AOC voting her conscience while Manchin and Sienma vote their donor's and their Republican friends "consciences" .

[CrackityJones75]

76. So if we can't get everything on climate

So if we can’t get everything on climate everything else people need right fucking now should be held hostage?

[Demsrule86]

44. And when the GOP is back in charge which will

happen if we don’t pass infrastructure and reconciliation what do you suppose happens with climate change then? It is a good bill, and it is not possible to get what AOC wants through the Senate.

[Autumn]

58. I think when the GOP is back in charge there's a couple of Dems you can blame. But it wont be on

AOC. After all. just like Manchin and Sinema she's representing her constituents. Those two get a fucking pass for doing what they want to do she gets a pass for doing the right thing. There are plenty of moderates to blame if nothing gets done that the people want.

[Demsrule86]

68. And there we have it again...blame. It is not about blame. You could argue that Manchin is

representing his constituents too...that is not the point. It won't be good for her constituents if nothing passes and it helps the GOP regain power any more than it is good for Manchin's constituents.

[msongs]

3. gonna take my ball and go home boo hoo hoo nt

[Javaman]

6. Um what? Of everything in the bill

The climate change part is the most important.

Everything else has no meaning without that.

You know, having a survivable earth and all that.

I’d take my ball home too if I were her.

[CrackityJones75]

77. Sorry everything in it DOES have meaning

Climate change is the most important in my opinion but there are pther things in it that people desperately need. It is not moral to hold peoples needs hostage because without climate change legislation thos people suffer that much more.

[Javaman]

79. like I said, I will take my ball and go home.

in 10 short years, areas of the southwest will be unlivable.

also look up wet bulb temp if you're not familiar with that. that refers to the point the human body will no longer be able to cool itself with sweating.

with that in mind entire areas of the southern part of the U.S. will see a massive increase in death because of that.

not even taking in the oceans rise and the plight of millions of people that live along the coasts or the raging yearly forest fires or the hurricanes or increased insane snowfalls.

nope, climate change doesn't have a single bearing on anything else, nope not at all.

I'm not going to bother arguing any further because while we continue to pour money in to other programs, it will all go wasted as long as we don't do a thing to help the earth.

we had and old expression back east, it goes, "shoveling shit against the tide". you are only pouring money down a hole if the climate change part is removed from the bill

[CrackityJones75]

84. It isn't going to pass under this bill.

How does one illustrate that to you? You can have your ball, take it home, bake it some cookies and tuck it in for nighty night. It was never going to make it in this bill. That’s just how it is. So given that, the other things that ARE in the bill should be withheld from people?

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

10. That's why the Republicans beat our ass a lot of times.

The perfect is the enemy of the good.

[KPN]

4. Good for her. She is right. Global warming is the number one existential threat to

every single one of us worldwide.

Thank God for AOC.

[Demsrule86]

45. And? How will her actions help in any way. We don't have

the votes in the Senate.

[KPN]

59. They already have helped. We wouldn't even have the current

proposal without her and the progressive caucus. Biden is meeting with House Dems today — that wouldn’t happen without hard positions voiced by progressives. The bill won’t be finalized today or even this week because progressives aren’t collapsing in the face of the old school. That all helps in the long run … and it helps the Ds in the long run.

[Demsrule86]

61. I don't doubt that but how does refusing to vote for what has been negotiated help?

We won't get everything this go-round.

[sheshe2]

5. All or nothing. nt

[KPN]

7. What? That's quite an exaggeration.

[sheshe2]

21. Is it?

[Disaffected]

32. Yes.

[sheshe2]

33. We shall see, now won't we.

[Demsrule86]

46. That is what it is exactly.

[dpibel]

18. All was $7 bn. Compromise was $3.5 bn

Now we're at $1.5 bn, if Big Joe Manchin nods.

And you're accusing AOC of all or nothing?

Weird.

[wellst0nev0ter]

28. It's always the fault of the progressives

Not the radical minority who wants to practice line-item veto power

[Demsrule86]

62. It is not a matter of fault...you work you butt off to get what you can...and then you compromise

and pass the bill. It may not be perfect but it is good...certainly better than nothing.

[wellst0nev0ter]

66. "Better than nothing" doesn't get us votes

This has been demonstrated repeatedly, yet we are repeating the same mistakes expecting things to go differently.

Go big or go home. That's how you win midterms if you're the party in power.

[CrackityJones75]

78. Nothing sure as shit doesn't get us votes.

[wellst0nev0ter]

82. "If we fall then you fall" is how you negotiate with bad actors

Manchinema is already crowing about how they got the BIF. If they come out with nothing, they will look just as bad as anyone.

Link to tweet

The worst possible outcome is to give these people a win, get nearly nothing in return, then get wiped out in the midterms for our trouble. The only reasonable pathway to a midterm victory is to excite the base with huge bills.

[CrackityJones75]

83. Who cares?

Honestly who cares how bad they look? The overwhelming message is going to be how DEMOCRATS look. Do you think that if we walk away with nothing that the media is gonna say “Yeah but at least Democrats stuck it to people in their own party”? And call it a win?

[wellst0nev0ter]

85. This is about pressure, not optics

If you want something, you have to play hardball.

Denying them BIF is hardball. Use the leverage.

[CrackityJones75]

86. But you just commented on the optics

But you just commented on the optics of Manchin crowing???

LOLOLOL What leverage?????

[wellst0nev0ter]

88. Wow, and I just told you the leverage

And you just dismissed it without evidence.

You need to be more specific on why there is no leverage.

[CrackityJones75]

89. Again what leverage?

What leverage do we have that has worked so far?

[wellst0nev0ter]

90. The threat to walk from the BIF

CPC used it to shut down the Gottheimer Gang, and they still have that in their arsenal.

Once again, be specific about why they don't have leverage. No more general comments.

[ForgedCrank]

9. You know, she has the right idea and all,

but man I wish these people would stop stabbing each other. The entire bill is on life support and time is running out fast.
A climate bill can be introduced on it's own merits, we need her vote now. Just my opinion, but seems to me it might be easier to pass on it's own later.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

12. This 👆

[Bettie]

15. Have you seen what's happening on the Reconciliation bill?

by the time they (Manchin/Sinema) are done it will be tax cuts for the rich and corporations and nothing else.

[TheFarseer]

30. Wouldn't be surprised

If they cut it down to SALT deductions and hail it as groundbreaking.

[Hortensis]

39. Come on, it's a Democratic product. 100%.

With some of the people we elect it could conceivably end up a pile of paper in a wastebasket, but it wouldn't be tax breaks for the wealthy.

Ask Sanders 2.0. Sanders 1.0 is no longer sold.

[betsuni]

42. No, that's Republicans.

"nothing else"

[Demsrule86]

47. There is still good stuff in the bill. You want better.

win hearts and minds… enough to elect more Democrats. We have a 50 50 majority.

[Bettie]

49. What is still in it?

And do Manchin and Sinema dislike those things? Because if they do, they are gone.

As I understand it, most of it is currently off the table between the two of them.

[Demsrule86]

70. Google is your friend...we don't know for certain what survives...but everything in that bill is

good thus...whatever remains will be good by default...what isn't good is cutting off our nose to spite our face and losing our majority. Do you think it is bad now? Just wait until we blow past the debt ceiling, have the government constantly shut down, and then the bastards overturn an election. One thing I know...we won't ever get any climate change with the GOP in charge.

[Demsrule86]

63. That is not going to be true...there is good stuff in that bill. It is a start.

[honest.abe]

14. Noble but shortsighted.

There will be more opportunities to tackle climate change down the road if we can pass this bill with a significant number of provisions included. If this budget bill totally collapses there wont be. A no vote literally kills us all. We will probably get slaughtered in 2022 elections and probably 2024 as well. Climate change will be eliminated from the dictionary.

[totodeinhere]

23. Like you said, we might lose in 2022.

So there actually may not be many more opportunities to pass climate change legislation. Soon they will all be preoccupied with the upcoming election. So I think we need to find a way to do it now. Maybe threaten Manchin and Sinema with losing their committee assignments if they don't get in line. I think it's time to play hardball. And it either of them or both bolt to the Republican Party then so be it. They are effectively Republicans already.

[bottomofthehill]

25. The republicans will be happy to restore their committees

If they return the majority to them.

[honest.abe]

31. That approach will just make matters worse.

IMO

[Demsrule86]

48. There is no way to do it now. We need to get something

That moves us forward.

[Groundhawg]

16. I like it. Why should they vote on a 3 trillion bill with no text?

It might not do anything for the climate. It might just be givaways!

[BlueIdaho]

17. Enough with the grandstanding

The American people are waiting for the relief they voted for last November and they are losing faith in the Democratic party.

[wellst0nev0ter]

29. Tell that to Manchinema

[Demsrule86]

50. How is AOC withholding her vote different exactly?

Of course we agree with her but what else is different? I like AOC don’t get me wrong but how does passing nothing help us? We have a 50 50 Senate.

[totodeinhere]

19. With only a three vote margin in the House we can't afford to lose many Democratic

votes if this is to pass.

[empedocles]

22. With this 3 vote margin, and this Democratic House, - its very difficult to pass anything.

Imagine how the President and the Speaker, ah, feel about this.

[bottomofthehill]

26. And a 50-50 senate

[WHITT]

20. Good For Her

It's one thing to hold-your-nose and vote for the anti-worker, anti-consumer, corporate Repub bill, if you're also getting the original reconciliation proposal, but it's easy to vote against if they're reneging on everything and hollowing-out the reconciliation proposal.

[kelly1mm]

34. Are you referring to the Senate bill that got

50 (ie all Democrats and Independents caucusing with the Democrats) as a “republican” bill? You also know that only about 1/3 of republicans actually supported that bill, right?

[WHITT]

37. Yep

the one that most of them didn't read and didn't know what was, and was not, in it. Many still don't know, or are lying.

Keep in mind that Moscow mitch voted for that bill.

Not only did he vote for that bill, but he ENTHUSIASTICALLY voted for that bill.

Not only did he ENTHUSIASTICALLY vote for that bill, but he GLEEFULLY voted for that bill.

Moscow Mitch ENTHUSIASTICALLY and GLEEFULLY voted for that bill.

Proof positive it's a HORRIBLE bill, bad for the American people, but great for the Rich & Corporate.

[Hortensis]

40. "...most of them didn't read"?!

Senators all have dozens of high-quality career professionals on their staffs. Congressmen fewer but their staffs still number in the dozens. Some specialize in legislation and of course are huge experts. And then there are all the professionals serving the legislators on each committee.

Of course bills are "read." When Democrats are writing them and in charge, anyway. When Republicans are the majority and in charge, their leaders often direct them to vote for legislation they've not been allowed to see, and they do. But that's not us.

[WHITT]

53. Which Is Why

1) a number of Senators, on both sides, have publicly claimed the bill would replace all the lead pipes in the country, but according to the EPA, the money allocated in the bill would replace LESS THAN ONE-THIRD of the lead pipes in the country.

2) a number of Senators, on both sides, have publicly claimed the bill would provide "universal broadband" all over the country, but according to experts, there's nowhere near enough money in the bill to provide most of rural America with broadband.

3) numerous Dem Senators were, or still are, unaware the bill:

* STEALS MONEY from the Education Stabilization Fund.

* STEALS MONEY from relief for airline workers.

* STEALS MONEY from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program for small businesses and nonprofit groups.

* STEALS MONEY from the Paycheck Protection Program.

* STEALS MONEY from Covid relief funds for states and locals.

4) even though presented as paid for, nearly all Senators voting in favor were unaware the bill adds HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS to the federal debt.

5) a number of Repub Senators have lauded the bill's funding of public/private partnerships, without mentioning it's simply corporate welfare, where they build roads, but charge tolls that workers and consumers have to pay to the corporations for the rest of their lives, build bridges and charge tolls that workers and consumers have to pay to the corporations for the rest of their lives, take water owned by communities and then sell it back to them at greatly inflated prices for the rest of their lives.

I could go on, and on, and on...

[stillcool]

24. I wish we had more elected officials

calling out the flaws. When the stuff hits the fan, they'll vote the way they will, but more than the voices of 2 Senators need to be heard.

[KPN]

60. Exactly. Well said.

[wellst0nev0ter]

27. Good

Put the pressure on the rightwing Democrats.

If they blow up BBB, nobody gets anything, and this whole mess will hang on THEIR necks, since the vast majority of the party is for the $3.5 trillion bill as it originally stood.

[twin_ghost]

35. I disagree with single issue voters

We need to gain the votes of people to grow environmental investment. We should not shut the door on all other investment based on one issue.

[Demsrule86]

51. I do too.

[dansolo]

36. This is why we lost big in 2010

Progressives attacked the ACA because it wasn't enough, and helped to feed the media narrative about the "problems" with it,. Never mind that the ACA was a huge improvement, and ended up helping a lot of people. Even conservatives like it now (as long as you don't refer to it as Obamacare).

[Celerity]

41. Good. She fucking rocks.

[Hortensis]

43. Ocasio-Cortez did not work on any of the complex climate provisions

worked into every possible aspect of this bill. She was invited to be on an important climate committee and declined.

Unlike her, all our reps who worked so hard on the climate provisions know what each can accomplish. And they know that all the climate mitigation we can accomplish is worth incredibly more than the nothing Ocasio would settle for.

They also know it'd take years to get back to this point -- if we have another chance, which is far from certain.

Btw, this illustates the most important difference between the few on the left fringe and the rest of our progressive Democratic caucuses: The pattern of just abandoning everything if they don't get what they want, no matter how important, and preen themselves as highminded for it. It's why there are only a handful of them among over 200 progressive Democrats. Mercifully.

As it is, though, a Democratic majority of 3 in the house means our bills are only marginally less vulnerable to being blown up by outliers there than in the senate.

[Demsrule86]

52. + 100000

[empedocles]

54. Informed, overlooked point. TY

[aocommunalpunch]

55. The pressure is NEVER on the conservative Dems.

The bill could come up for a vote with the Biden priorities and the conservatives would be forced to vote it down. But no. We can't put them on the FUCKING RECORD and exert some PRESSURE, right? Oh, no. That is reserved for the progressives and Justice Democrats that folks can't wait to push around. They have to put their values ON THE RECORD, unlike the conservative Dems who fucked the whole thing up from the get-go.

I'm tired of being pushed around by conservatives. Tell them no.

[Demsrule86]

64. There is no way to pressure them. If they get a bill they like good...if they don't get a bill still

fine with them...and if you take away committees and play hardball...well Mitch is waiting in the wings...we need more Democrats and they will almost certainly come from red and purple states or we won't have a majority...take a look at the Senate and where our opportunities are.

[Mr. Sparkle]

71. You have to admire her.

I would prefer progressives were the last to sign up to the bills rather than 2 corporate lobbyists schills.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

72. I don't

I'm sick and tired of perfectionists that win us nothing.

[Mr. Sparkle]

73. I think people are feed up with corporatists having the last word, watering down everything.

it would be nice if progressives had the final say for a change and that they were pandered too.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

74. I think people are feed up with corporatists having the last word, watering down everything.

You only speak for yourself not everyone else.

It would be nice if we could sing in perfect harmony but that's not the real world.

It's good to have goals but be real about them. Being a progressive means making progress not patting yourself on the back because you're a beautiful loser who made what you think is the principled stand.

[Mr. Sparkle]

75. You seem to think shes doomed to fail, im confident a bill will pass.

[Act_of_Reparation]

81. Thanks, dad.

[manicdem]

80. This or no bill

We need more reps like AOC to take a firm stand, this or no bill passes. This is an emergency and if climate change bill doesn't pass now, it never will.

[sarcasmo]

87. Good, cause this version of the bill is garbage.