AOC Apologizes to Constituents for Iron Dome Vote, Cites Rush to Vote for Her Decision

I think it takes a strong and smart leader to realize they made a mistake, admit it and fix it.

BS

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5323 Introduced in House (IH)]

117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5323

Making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September
30, 2022, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 22, 2021

Ms. DeLauro introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on the
Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

Making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September
30, 2022, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
That the following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2022, and for other purposes, namely:

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

PROCUREMENT

Procurement, Defense-Wide

For an additional amount for ``Procurement, Defense-Wide'',
$1,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2024, for the
Secretary of Defense to provide to the Government of Israel for the
procurement of the Iron Dome defense system to counter short-range
rocket threats: Provided, That such funds shall be provided to address
emergent requirements in support of Operation Guardian of the Walls:
Provided further, That such funds shall be transferred pursuant to an
exchange of letters and are in addition to funds provided pursuant to
the U.S.-Israel Iron Dome Procurement Agreement, as amended: Provided
further, That nothing in the preceding provisos shall be construed to
apply to amounts made available in prior appropriations Acts for the
procurement of the Iron Dome defense system: Provided further, That
such amount is designated by the Congress as being for an emergency
requirement pursuant to section 4001(a)(1) and section 4001(b) of S.
Con. Res. 14 (117th Congress), the concurrent resolution on the budget
for fiscal year 2022.

GENERAL PROVISIONS--THIS ACT

Sec. 101. Each amount appropriated or made available by this Act
is in addition to amounts otherwise appropriated for the fiscal year
involved.
Sec. 102. Unless otherwise provided for by this Act, the
additional amounts appropriated by this Act to appropriations accounts
shall be available under the authorities and conditions applicable to
such appropriations accounts for fiscal year 2022.
This Act may be cited as the ``Iron Dome Supplemental
Appropriations Act, 2022''.

Bowman told CNN that he voted against the bill because he didn't feel like he had enough time to review what was in it.

"We just got the bill text like a half an hour ago. Absolutely no time to read it, no time to understand it, no time to digest it, so that's reason number one," Bowman said. [H.R.3237: Emergency Security Supplemental Appropriations Act

Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman, one of the Democrats who had concerns about the provision, said earlier that House members had not been given enough time to consider the matter.

"The problem is leadership (will) just throw something on our table, give us about five minutes to decide what we're going to do and then tries to move forward with it," Bowman told reporters [H.R.4350: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022].

Addressing her vote [H.R.5323: Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022] Ocasio-Cortez said House leadership made a "reckless decision" in rushing the vote by calling it "within a matter of hours and without true consideration."

"I want to be clear that the decision to rush the vote—virtually preventing any member from meaningfully consulting their community—was both intentional and necessary," she wrote in a Friday letter to her constituents in New York's 14th congressional district.

Some have suggested that Ocasio-Cortez's last-minute decision was a strategic move to position herself run for Senate in New York, mounting a primary challenge to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer in 2022.

Bowman did take the time to read the very short (1 page, 406 words) bill

He wound up voting for the final bill, the only member of the "squad" to do so.

this was a political calculation

it just might backfire.