AOC Hits Back at Critics, Celebrates Stopping Amazon HQ in New York As Company Cuts Jobs: ‘It Was Worth It’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) lashed out at critics denouncing her for protesting an Amazon headquarters in New York that was eventually abandoned amid the opposition.
Among her criticism, the Democratic congresswoman accused the massive corporation of not paying enough in taxes, benefitting from the state, and exploiting workers.
“Anything is possible: today was the day a group of dedicated, everyday New Yorkers & their neighbors defeated Amazon’s corporate greed, its worker exploitation, and the power of the richest man in the world,” she tweeted in 2019 when the headquarters plans were nixed.
On Friday, Ocasio-Cortez once again celebrated her controversial fight in reaction to the news that Amazon is pausing construction on a headquarters building in Virginia amid massive job cuts.
“When I opposed this Amazon project coming to New York bc it was a scam of public funds, the whole power establishment came after us. Billboards went up in Times [Square] denouncing me. Powerful pols promised revenge. Op-Eds & CEOs insulted my intelligence,” she tweeted. “In the end, we were right.”
According to Ocasio-Cortez, Amazon was running a “scam” to get public funds with no guarantees of ever providing the jobs they promised to the state.
“I know I’ll never get an apology for that time, but it was worth it,” she wrote. “We protected [New Yorkers] from a scam deal to drain public dollars from schools & infrastructure in exchange for empty promises of “Amazon jobs” w/ 0 guarantees or guardrails. Sadly, cities who took it are suffering.”
John Schoettler, Amazon’s real estate chief, confirmed a pause in its Virginia construction to Bloomberg. Amazon committed to hiring approximately 25,000 people and spending $2.5 billion in connection with the Arlington, Virginia location.
The company said they are “evaluating space plans” based on the thousands the headquarters will need to accommodate. Amazon began laying off what will ultimately amount to 18,000 jobs just last month.
Ocasio-Cortez was primarily criticized by Republican critics at the time, but some on her own side blasted her protests too. Then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) said Amazon coming to New York would have boosted the economy and blamed a “small group of politicians” who put their “narrow political interests” first.
Shark Tank star and entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary renewed criticism of Ocasio-Cortez on Friday morning when he accused her of being “great at killing jobs” over the Amazon incident.
The congresswoman specifically responded to O’Leary’s comments about her and New York being “uninvestable.”
If it’s so “uninvestable,” then why is NYC home to some of the most billionaires in the world?
This is what billionaires do. They leverage their power to gain platforms and spread unsubstantiated claims to push policies that are even more favorable to them than they already are. https://t.co/RdVXesgZZo
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 3, 2023
“If it’s so ‘uninvestable,’ then why is NYC home to some of the most billionaires in the world?” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted in reaction to a clip of O’Leary. “This is what billionaires do. They leverage their power to gain platforms and spread unsubstantiated claims to push policies that are even more favorable to them than they already are.”
