Face the Nation: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Interview
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Good morning.
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Well, I think, right now, we are in such a crisis in our economy, a crisis of inequality, that it is going to take a level of political and popular support unlike that that we've seen in a strike situation like this in recent and modern history in order for us to get a breakthrough.
What we've seen at the Big Three are CEOs giving themselves as much as a 40 percent wage and -- and compensation increase, while workers have actually seen a real wage decrease over -- over the last 10 to 15 years. And in order for us to break that norm, I think it's going to take an unprecedented level of involvement to make sure that workers get what they deserve here.
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Well, I think it always has to be earned.
And President Biden showing up to the picket line on Tuesday is a historic, historic event. We have never seen in modern history a president show up to a picket line like this. And I think it should be earned. It needs to be earned. And I believe that President Biden is -- is working towards that, especially when he lands in Michigan on Tuesday to earn that.
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Yes.
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No, the -- our car was purchased during the pandemic, when travel -- before a vaccine had come out. So, travel between New York and Washington, the safest way that we had determined was an E.V.
But that was prior to some of the new models coming out on the market that had the range available. But we're actually looking into trading in our car now. So, we're looking into it. And, hopefully, we will soon.
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Yes. Yes.
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Well, I think the politics around immigration in the United States is, to no surprise to many people, one of the most contentious issues.
We saw this dramatically inflamed under President Trump, but it remains to be a very controversial and contentious issue. And that makes -- I believe that makes enacting -- enacting some of the policy changes necessary much more complicated and difficult.
Now, this week, after perhaps almost a year of pushing from both the Hispanic -- the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to the New York delegation in Congress, we pushed to make sure that the Biden administration extended Temporary Protective Status, otherwise known as TPS, for Venezuelans, which will allow and open the pathway for Venezuelan migrants to actually begin working and supporting themselves, which will reduce the strain on our public systems, particularly New York's shelter system, and more.
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Yes.
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Well, I definitely think that we need to have comprehensive immigration reform, so that we aren't constantly doing this patchwork of policy extensions.
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That has not happened for decades.
But, additionally, I think we also need to examine the root of this problem, because if we are constantly engaging in foreign policy that drives people to our Southern border, in this specific instance, U.S. sanctions that were originally authored by Marco Rubio began and precipitated, certainly took a large part in the driving of populations to our Southern border.
Shortly after those sanctions, those broad-based sanctions...
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Yes.
Shortly after those broad-based sanctions were enacted, we started seeing dramatic increases in these populations that were coming to our Southern border. And so we have to address the root of these population movements and the migration crisis. And we have to also have to address the domestic U.S. policy issues when it comes to immigration reform.
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Absolutely.
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I think we need to reexamine the nature of these sanctions.
There are sanctions that are very specific, for example, the Magnitsky Act sanctions, that do actually focus on the decision makers and people who may be violating norms, practices, civil rights, but broad-based sanctions that punish the overall economy and harm everyday working people that are driving them into the economic and political destitution, that force millions of people, both not just to the United States, but even to our regional partners.
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Well, I think it's -- the situation is quite unfortunate, but I do believe that it is in the best interest for Senator Menendez to resign in this moment.
As you mentioned, consistency matters. It shouldn't matter whether it's a Republican or a Democrat. The details in this indictment are extremely serious. They involve the nature of -- of not just his, but all of our seats in Congress.
And while, you know, as a Latina, there are absolutely ways in which there is systemic bias, but I think what is here in this indictment is quite clear. And -- and I believe is in the best interest to maintain the integrity of the seat.
I want to emphasize that all people are -- they must be extended the presumption of innocence until proven guilty.
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I mean, I think that -- we would have to cross that bridge when we get to it.
Speaker McCarthy has been very weak. I think that he has also engaged in just absolutely terrible decision-making for the American people, from continuing to try to cement denying the right to an abortion among women, to the denial of -- to policy that denies the reality of climate change...
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... to basic fiscal irresponsibility and recklessness.
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We are at the brink of a shutdown right now.
And so, absolutely, I think there is grounds. However, we are also in the midst of an extremely chaotic Republican Party. And we do not want chaos to reign in Washington either.
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Thank you. Thank you so much.
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