Ocasio-Cortez Slams ‘Fundamentally Undemocratic’ Senate — ‘Operates Like an Old Boys’ Club’

In the wake of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) effectively killing President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) slammed the “fundamentally undemocratic” way the Senate operates.

Ocasio-Cortez described the Senate as “fundamentally undemocratic” and argued President Joe Biden’s executive authority has not “been used to the fullest extent that the American people deserve.

“Just the fact that you can go on Fox News and say I don’t feel like voting for this, or I don’t think I’m going to do it. Having that not scheduled a vote, the idea that would happen in the House of Representatives is unheard of,” Ocasio-Cortez declared. “And I think what’s extremely important is that we really need to start creating an environment of pressure, very similar to the filibuster, where now you don’t even need to talk to engage a filibuster, but you just need to threaten it. But we really need to create a governing environment in the United States Senate, make it tough, don’t go on vacation, come back, call the vote, have to stand in front of your constituents and say no, I’m going to take dollars, I’m going to take the food out of your kids’ mouths — make him take that vote. They made us take the vote for the bipartisan infrastructure bill. It was a tough vote. It wasn’t easy. And we have to stop giving people get out of jail free cards. Enough. Enough. And it’s really about time that we start to get serious about governing, as well as leaning on the president’s executive authority, which I do not believe has been used to the fullest extent that the American people deserve.”

“God forbid that they might have to actually show up and stand or sit and actually have to talk and actually live out the threat of their filibuster,” she added. “I mean, it is unconscionable the way the Senate operates. It’s fundamentally undemocratic.”

Ocasio-Cortez claimed the filibuster was allowing the “stripping” of voters’ rights in America and called for an end to the filibuster.

“What we really need to do is crack down on the Senate, which operates like an old boys’ club that has a couple of gals in it that have managed to break through,” she added. “We actually need to institute some institutional discipline.”

Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent