NY State Senator Jessica Ramos Torches AOC For Being Unreachable: ‘It Would be Nice if You Breathed Our Air’
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Progressive New York State Senator Jessica Ramos called out Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on Twitter for her lack of presence in her constituency, asserting that the Congresswoman is becoming out of touch.
Ramos is the Chair of the New York Senate Committee on Labor and serves the 13th district of the state, of which portions overlap with Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional district.
The series of tweets took place after a medical student posted that health policy academics were denied a meeting with Ocasio-Cortez’s staff:
a couple of the most highly respected health policy academics recenly set up a meeting with AOC’s office to discuss NHS style healthcare reform. They were told bluntly by AOC’s staff, “we’re not doing healthcare right now.”
— Daniel (@jai_lies) July 21, 2022
The congresswoman replied in an apologetic manner claiming that what was described is “not representative of me nor my values.” She encouraged the sender to connect with her to remedy the issue.
I’m really sorry to hear that this happened. It’s not representative of me nor my values. If you can connect with details I’d appreciate it. I’ll follow so DMs will be open.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 24, 2022
Ramos then began a string of criticisms of Ocasio-Cortez in response to the two tweets above. The state lawmaker called her out for her absence, arguing that it is felt throughout her constituency.
Maybe if you spent more time in your office and with your team you’d know what goes on. Just saying it would be nice if you breathed our air. So, as an employer, what happens with the staffer who said this?
— Jessica Ramos (@jessicaramos) July 24, 2022
When another person tweeted in response questioning Ramos’s credibility, she dug in further saying that her absence is “an indisputable fact.”
Our district offices are on the same floor in the same building. She’s barely ever present in the community. It’s an indisputable fact.
— Jessica Ramos (@jessicaramos) July 24, 2022
Journalist Errol Louis joined the discussion responding to the thread that the public feud between the lawmakers “suggests private diplomacy has failed,” to which Ramos replied, “That’s correct.”
The state senator claimed that she has not been able to reach Ocasio-Cortez in months, saying that she “gave up texting her a while back,” asking “what else is it I’m supposed to do?”
That’s correct, Errol. I gave up texting her a while back, and as petitioning unfolded, I reached out through staff and requested a meeting. I have not spoken to my congressperson in months. Maybe more than a year? What else is it I’m supposed to do?
— Jessica Ramos (@jessicaramos) July 24, 2022
Ramos continued to reply to many others continuing to criticize Ocasio-Cortez, writing, “I believe what I see and hear on my streets and in my office building :),” and that she just wants her “congressional representative to be around and do their job in the community.”
According to the New York Post, a spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez claimed that their office did not have any record of the meeting being discussed. The spokesperson additionally said that they will continue to look into the incident.
Ocasio-Cortez, who often has a vast media presence, was under fire recently after being arrested at a Supreme Court protest outside the Capitol in support of abortion rights. The video that was released led many to question the arrest, accusing the congresswoman of pretending to be in handcuffs. Ocasio-Cortez hit back at the criticism on social media, torching doubters.
