Tag: Ocasio-Cortez

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Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Calling For A $10 Trillion Over 10 Years Infrastructure Plan

Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez(D-NY) On The Rachel Maddow Show (03/31/2021)

Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) appeared on the 03/31/2021 edition of MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow show(TRMS), to discuss the $2 trillion infrastructure plan President Biden had announced earlier the same day. Rep Ocasio-Cortez (aka AOC), told host Maddow that her Progressive colleagues in the House will “absolutely” push for a figure higher than the $2 trillion set out by President Biden, adding that her personal preference would be a $10 trillion over 10 years infrastructure plan.

AOC’s full interview on TRMS is available here, but the relevant clip is below.

Specifically, AOC told Maddow in response to a question as to whether Progressives in the House will push for a figure bigger than $2 trillion: “Absolutely. You know if we could wave a magic wand, and Progressives in the House were able to name any number and get it through, which obviously isn’t the case, but if we are looking at ideals and what we think is the actual investment that can create tens of millions of good union jobs in this country, that can shore up our healthcare, our infrastructure, our housing, and doing it in a way that draws down our carbon emissions to help us get in line with IPCC standards, we are talking about realistically, $10 trillion over 10 years.” AOC added that even though $10 trillion is an “eye popping” figure, it is not in any way unrealistic.

Basically, AOC’s message on TRMS was that even though House Progressives are very appreciative of President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure proposal, they are looking at the $2 trillion as a starting point, and not necessarily the ceiling. Progressives in the House will work hard for a higher figure. This promises to be quite an interesting battle in Congress, especially given the fact that in the recently passed American Rescue Plan(Covid), House negotiations began at $1.9 trillion and worked their way downwards. It appears for infrastructure, the House negotiations will begin at $2 trillion and possibly end up much higher. Will AOC’s $10 trillion wish come true? Hmm–time will tell.

Bottom line folks, as AOC correctly pointed out, if one considers the fact that for covid relief, Congress passed a one year $1.9 trillion package, it is not unreasonable to assume that for an infrastructure plan, we would need much more than the $2 trillion proposed by President Biden. It is a good thing that AOC threw the $10 trillion figure out there because it will inspire some imagination among House Democrats as to what’s possible–thinking big. Simply put, even though passing a “skinny” infrastructure plan is better than no infrastructure plan at all, House Democrats should not look at President Biden’s $2 trillion proposal as a limiting factor, but instead, like AOC, come up with their own imaginative ideas as to how to revamp our dilapidated infrastructure. All in all, let there be a robust infrastructure debate in Congress, and may the best ideas win.

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You may reach the author via email at author@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com

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Unmarked And Unfenced EPA Super Fund Site In Texas

A shocking Fox26 Houston report says that the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) has for years ran an unmarked and unfenced super fund site in the Texas city of Cypress located 24 miles north west of Houston.

According to Fox26 Houston a negligent Texas dry cleaning company dumped the dangerous chemical tetrachloroethylene, a carcinogen, at this unmarked and unfenced site in Cypress Texas for 14 years(1988-2002) and the carcinogen has since sipped into the area’s water wells. Numerous Cypress Texas residents have since been diagnosed with cancer related to the chemical meaning this is a serious and existential environmental hazard. Environmental activist Pam Bonta says, “We are seeing a lot of cancer and illness. We requested that they [EPA] revisit this. We demanded that they get it cleaned up because people are dying, bottom-line.”

Another environmental activist Becky Romano said “You walk on the property and you just smell the gas. You feel it in your body and it just makes you sick.”

Even more troubling, it appears the Texas company dumped this dangerous chemical right around the corner where a Cypress strip mall is currently located. Given the number of people that frequent such strip malls in small cities like Cypress, it is fair to assume that there are a lot of Cypress residents still being exposed to this carcinogen on a daily basis. EPA says it will take two years to make the site safe.

Bottom line the dangerous environmental situation playing out in Cypress Texas once again underscores the need to reign in the EPA especially in GOP-controlled states like Texas where the push for deregulation is literally endangering people’s lives. Hopefully House Democrats will soon haul in EPA officials responsible for this Cypress super fund site for some tough grilling as to how a site as dangerous as this is not even fenced and clearly marked as such. This is gross recklessness for which someone at EPA should either be fired or criminally prosecuted.

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The Real Reason I.C.E Should Be Abolished

After the Trump Administration’s “Zero Tolerance” policy which called for the separation of migrant children from their parents upon apprehension at the southern U.S. border, there have been increasing calls including by a senior U.S. Senator, for the abolition of DHS’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Calls for the abolition of ICE went on overdrive when a previously little known Progressive Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez scored a stunning upset victory in the NY14 Democratic primary, unseating the 4th ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ocassio-Cortez made abolishing ICE the central theme of her campaign, so naturally her stunning upset win has been read by many to mean there is groundswell support among grassroots Democrats for the abolition of ICE

Left out of the ICE abolition debate however is what Yours Truly believes should be the real reason ICE should either be abolished or severely investigated;–That ICE which most Americans associate with going after people in the U.S. illegally, is now also terrorizing legal permanent residents (green card holders) and naturalized  U.S. citizens with illegal surveillance for their political statements on social media(Twitter, Facebook). Even more troubling is that these outright unconstitutional practices by ICE(First Amendment violations) have been widely reported in the media yet Congress remains silent. The troubling practices at DHS-ICE have been likened to the infamous “Cointelpro” tactics employed by the FBI in the 1960s to target black civil rights activists.


To be very clear, Yours Truly is not saying the evil child separation policy of the Trump Admin is not reason enough for Dems to call for the abolition of ICE. What Yours Truly is suggesting is that Congressional Dems, especially Senators need to start hammering DHS/ICE over its unconstitutional surveillance of legal permanent residents and naturalized citizens for their political speech and then add the evil child separation policy as the reason the agency needs to be abolished. Put another way, Dems should argue that ICE is already flagrantly and routinely violating the constitutional rights of permanent residents and naturalized citizens, and that this coupled with the evil child separation policy, should be sufficient grounds for its abolition–the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.

Bottomline the real atrocities at ICE have not yet been exposed enough to convince the public that time has come to disband the agency. Dems will be better advised to first push for hearings/investigation into ICE’s unconstitutional practices towards legal permanent residents and naturalized citizens and then call for its abolition for the evil child separation policy. When the truth about ICE’s illegal practices are finally put on full display to the public,  abolition will be a very easy sell.

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You may also reach the author directly via email at author@grassrootsdempolitics.com or author@emolumentsclause.com