Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Former Press Secretary Sarah Sanders traded blows over the congresswoman’s suggestion that employees should boycott returning to work during the coronavirus pandemic.
“When we have this discussion about ‘going back’ or ‘reopening’ — I think a lot of people should just say, ‘No, we’re not going back to that. We’re not going back to working 70-hour weeks just so that we can put food on the table and not even feel any sort of semblance of security in our lives,’” the Democratic lawmaker said on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Sarah Sanders blasted Rep. Ocasio-Cortez for suggesting that workers should not return to their jobs.
“.@AOC says Americans should boycott work. As usual she’s wrong,” Sanders tweeted. “The goal should be for Americans to SAFELY return to work because unlike AOC and members of Congress, most of us actually have to show up at work to get paid and support our families!”
AOC responded with a personal attack against Sarah Sanders over her time as White House press secretary, writing, “Look who’s talking about showing up for work! The woman didn’t hold a press conference for months while holding a job as press sec.”
“If you’re so supportive of this admin’s plan, why don’t you go out and try delivering groceries for a living w/o health insurance or mass testing?”
The congresswoman singled out Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who announced on Monday that he would allow businesses such as hair salons and gyms to reopen on Friday and that movie theaters and restaurants could begin offering in-person service next week. Rep. Ocasio-Cortez condemned Kemp’s plan and said that President Trump doesn’t have a strategy to reopen the economy safely.
“Trump has NO PLAN to get people safely back to work. GOP Govs like Kemp are sending vulnerable workers to die w/ false claims of safety,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “Trump also pushed an unproven, dangerous treatment as a ‘cure’ & firing experts who want to vet claims. Last thing you care abt is safety.”
She added, “And by the way, setting up vulnerable workers to grind 70 hours a week to barely survive and STILL not have health insurance is unsafe too.”
