Despite millions of Americans suffering unemployment at the hands of the virus that's killed over 250 thousand Americans, the Republican-led Senate has gone home for the week of Thanksgiving.
Lawmakers have been wrangling to pass another wave of pandemic relief, but talks have largely stalled due to Republican insistence on liability protections for corporations and hesitation to substantially boost unemployment benefits.
The House of Representatives has twice passed a version of the HEROES Act, but it's buried in the graveyard of bills on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's desk.
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)—who rebuked McConnell on the House floor for allowing the Senate to break without passing relief—continued to admonish the Senate Majority Leader on Twitter.
People across the country are going hungry, COVID is set to explode, and Mitch McConnell dismissed the Senate last week.
I don't know how these people can sleep at night. I really don't.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 23, 2020
It wasn't long before Republican Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) tried to blame Democrats for the failure to pass relief.
Why is your party filibustering $500 billion in COVID relief?
And Joe Biden is cheering them on. Thinking that blocking relief somehow helps Dems win Georgia. https://t.co/b8PvuUpSa3
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 23, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez didn't hesitate to answer him.
The House doesn't have filibusters, @tedcruz.
We also passed several COVID relief packages to the Senate that not only include >$500 billion, but also prioritize helping real people as opposed to Wall St bailouts the GOP tries to pass off as “relief."
Nice try though 👍🏽 https://t.co/X4YIdiXh5y
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 23, 2020
I hope someone else runs Cruz's Twitter account because it'd be pretty embarrassing if a US Senator didn't know this.
Almost as embarrassing as when Sen. @JohnCornyn didn't appear to know that Puerto Ricans don't get to vote in the Presidential
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 23, 2020
When Ted Cruz tried to retort...
.@AOC seems not to know there are Democrats in the Senate.
Or that Joe Biden (also a Dem) is publicly calling on Senate Dems to continue filibustering COVID relief because he thinks it will help them win Georgia. https://t.co/vy5HG3h2qr
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 24, 2020
Ocasio-Cortez, famous for her technical acumen and devastating clapbacks, only humiliated him further.
You know in the House, when we don't have the votes to pass something, we work on the bill until we pick up the votes to pass it. That includes GOP votes - & yes, GOP have voted for my leg too.
The Senate should try it sometime! People are going hungry as you tweet from vacay. https://t.co/INdMqmx1xr
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 24, 2020
She told Cruz that in the House of Representatives, when a bill doesn't have the votes to pass, lawmakers work together to improve it until it does.
She suggested the Senate do the same.
People applauded AOC's latest verbal joust.
I live for AOC tweet-shaming Ted Cruz. https://t.co/j9iQXKK2Cg
— Sydney Wishnow (@SydneyWishnow) November 24, 2020
Chile she be eating these Republicans up 😭 https://t.co/xM7Bv4b1Hi
— One gurl island🌬 (@JessieeLouis) November 24, 2020
AOC gotta be like 40-0 undefeated in twitter beefs 😂😂 https://t.co/MwDkuc9HA7
— Malik 🇬🇭 (@CozyMalik_) November 24, 2020
Thank you @AOC for standing up for the rest of us! https://t.co/TLCHACtKk6
— Jane Krate Duda (@JaneKDuda) November 24, 2020
@AOC wiping Floor with @tedcruz Again 🙌🏽 https://t.co/Yi7clUmFy6
— Vanessa Keller (@VmkellerVanessa) November 24, 2020
.@AOC shows .@TedCruz how it's done. https://t.co/kRxEu2XxjC
— PaulaInTulsaOK #FollowTank (@PaulaInTulsaOK) November 24, 2020
And she wasn't the only one to roast Ted Cruz.
If Ted Cruz spend all the energy he does use attacking AOC, he might actually do some good for his home state of Texas.... https://t.co/OzLYlF7y8h
— Chorty (@Ohdamjoel) November 24, 2020
@tedcruz putting on a stunning display of trying to mansplain how he gets nothing done https://t.co/7R8E8sRM2P
— Abbey (@abbey582) November 24, 2020
Ted Cruz—so-called 'evangelical,' totally devoid of truth, honor, integrity.
These GOP Senators are beyond hypocritical & shameless in their utterances.
Worse still, Cruz puts himself forward as an 'evangelical?'
Evangel=good news.
What 'good news' are you bearing, Cruz? https://t.co/CswUN5weEX
— Yemo (@YemoFashola_) November 24, 2020
Relief talks are currently at a standstill in Congress.
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