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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clapped back at lawmakers who opposed her legislation to combat the climate crisis while sharing harrowing videos of flooding in New York City.
New York state and New Jersey faced torrential downpours as Tropical Storm Elsa makes its way up the northeast coast, leading to flooded streets and underground subway stations.
The congresswoman from New York shared a video of commuters wading in waist-deep water in subway stations, calling out lawmakers who are against her Green New Deal proposal.
"'The Green New Deal, which is a blueprint to create millions of good jobs rebuilding infrastructure to stem climate change & protect vulnerable communities, is unrealistic,'" Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Thursday with a video. "'Instead we will do the adult thing, which is take orders from fossil fuel execs &make (sic) you swim to work.'"
-Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 8, 2021
Ocasio-Cortez appeared to be referencing a leaked secret video in which a senior Exxon lobbyist said the company attempted to weaken President Joe Biden's climate agenda by engaging in climate denialism through so-called "shadow groups" and targeted influential lawmakers to manipulate public opinion on the ongoing climate crisis, The New York Times reported.
In a follow-up tweet with a video of the Major Deegan Expressway in New York City underwater, Ocasio-Cortez wrote: "I'm so glad the filibuster is here to fix this oh wait."
-Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 8, 2021
The threat of a GOP filibuster looms over Biden's infrastructure deal, which incorporates initiatives focused on combatting the climate crisis. The deal is currently on two tracks - one that bypasses the filibuster through budget reconciliation and requires a simple majority (50 Democrats plus the vice president) to. pass, and the other bipartisan track that could likely end up with more than 60 "yes" votes to withstand the filibuster.
This isn't the first time the progressive congresswoman called out those who are resistant to addressing the climate crisis. Last week, she pointed to a shocking video of the Gulf of Mexico on fire after an oil pipeline rupture as evidence of a need to fund the Green New Deal.
"Shout out to all the legislators going out on dinner dates with Exxon lobbyists so they can say a Green New Deal is too expensive," she tweeted with a thumbs-up emoji.
-Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 2, 2021
