Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in an interview aired Wednesday it is “bizarre” and “really weird” that she and Sen. Ted Cruz are working together on Twitter-born legislation that would prevent former lawmakers from becoming lobbyists.
“I think it really shows what the true spirit of not being partisan is and that bipartisanship doesn’t mean let’s come together to go to war and lower taxes on the rich. But bipartisanship means, OK, I will swallow all of my distaste in this situation because we have found a common interest. And common cause I think can transcend bipartisanship,” the New York Democrat said in an interview with “The Young Turks.”
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez added their “legislative teams are meeting,” and they are going to see “how far we can push this.”
The motion started when Ms. Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: “If you are a member of Congress + leave, you shouldn’t be allowed to turn right around&leverage your service for a lobbyist check.”
Mr. Cruz, Texas Republican, joined in, saying he supported a lifetime ban and suggested the two work on a resolution together, adding, “The Swamp would hate it.”
The viral moment picked up Democrat Sen. Brian Schatz and Republican Rep. Chip Roy.
However, many experts have questioned the measure.
John Fortier, director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Democracy Project, said a lifetime ban is essentially asking lawmakers to vote for limiting their own job prospects.
“Absolutely limiting somebody from going into things related to their expertise when they were in Congress ultimately makes it harder to get it through Congress,” he said.
• Gabriella Muñoz contributed to this report.
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