Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is making a push for a seat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, according to people familiar with her decision. It’s a panel whose jurisdiction over taxes and revenue puts most of the economy within its mandate. For that reason, freshmen are almost never given spots on the panel, but the midterm elections upset the balance of power in the House. Sixty-three new representatives have joined the Democratic caucus, and some 43 Republicans either lost their seats or retired — so there is an unusually large number of vacancies to fill. By custom, New York City effectively has at least one reserved seat on Ways and Means, and Ocasio-Cortez is looking to claim it. Its former occupant was Rep. Joe Crowley, whom Ocasio-Cortez beat in a primary election. Any major piece of legislation — whether it’s “Medicare for All,” a “Green New Deal,” or free public college — would involve some level of revenue, putting it squarely in the domain of Ways and Means, which makes it a key spot for a legislator looking to have an impact. Ocasio-Cortez is routinely asked how she plans to pay for her aggressive economic agenda, and the first answer begins with securing a spot on the House’s key tax-writing committee. Traditionally, the seat is sought after for its fundraising potential, as every industry in the country is concerned with federal tax policy, meaning that members of the committee are more likely to get their fundraising calls returned. That makes the decision of who to give the seat to a tricky one for incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has the final say on committee assignments. Placing a lawmaker who refuses corporate PAC contributions on the Ways and Means Committee could be seen by some elements of the party as leaving money on the table. But giving it to the other New York applicant presents its own problems. Ocasio-Cortez is competing with Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents the North Shore of Long Island, a district not far from Ocasio-Cortez’s Bronx and Queens — but a world away in terms of wealth and privilege. He would no doubt make efficient fundraising use of the seat, but he also took part in a recent assault on Pelosi’s power as speaker. The contrast between how Ocasio-Cortez and Suozzi have approached the incoming Congress has been stark. Ocasio-Cortez began by joining a sit-in at Pelosi’s office to demand an empowered select committee to focus on legislating a Green New Deal. It was a risky move, but one that ended with Pelosi and Ocasio-Cortez praising one another, and the issue of climate change was elevated on the agenda. Ocasio-Cortez then threw her support behind an embattled Pelosi for speaker of the House. Pelosi’s bid for speakership was threatened by the so-called Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of lawmakers funded by the dark-money group No Labels, which threatened to withhold voting for Pelosi unless she agreed to a suite of rule changes that would largely empower Republicans. Suozzi was one of the nine signatories on that letter. Pelosi ultimately ceded to some of their demands. Suozzi is a vice chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, as well as a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a bloc of Wall Street-friendly Democrats that dramatically expanded its membership with the 2018 elections. Suozzi said that he had no interest in Ways and Means as a tool for fundraising, but argued that his training as a certified public accountant and attorney made him ideally suited for it. He also represents, he noted, a district that was hit very hard by the GOP tax bill, which tightened the state and local tax deduction. Because he represents part of Queens, he qualifies for the New York City spot. “I’m not interested in this seat for fundraising purposes,” he told The Intercept, noting that he was first elected as mayor 25 years ago. “I don’t need a committee to raise money.” Asked about the political contrast between him and Ocasio-Cortez, he acknowledged some differences, but said there was also common ground. “I’m very progressive on a lot of different issues, in support of the Green New Deal, immigration, both those issues, as well as on issues related to poverty,” he said. “Am I fiscally conservative? Yes, I’m fiscally conservative.” A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez declined to comment.<doc-sep>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez missed out on a crucial committee appointment on Thursday. The spot on the House Ways and Means Committee went to Rep. Tom Suozzi, a more fiscally conservative Democrat than Ocasio-Cortez. The committee oversees many parts of US economic policy, including Medicare funding, a key part of Ocasio-Cortez's platform. Ocasio-Cortez's representative said she "hoped to be on it, but we're excited to see what committees she does get." Top Democrats in Congress have kept Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York off a prominent committee she had hoped to use to advance her progressive agenda. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's Steering and Policy Committee on Thursday gave the spot on the House Ways and Means Committee to Rep. Tom Suozzi of New York, 56, a more fiscally conservative Democrat than Ocasio-Cortez, 29. Ocasio-Cortez's representative, Corbin Trent, told Fox News and the New York Post in a statement that Ocasio-Cortez "hoped to be on it, but we're excited to see what committees she does get." He added that she was "certainly not" upset by the decision. Read more: The inside story of how, in just one year, Sandy the bartender became a lawmaker who triggers both parties Ocasio-Cortez was "certainly not upset" by the decision, her representative said. J. Scott Applewhite/AP The committee oversees many parts of US economic policy, including spending, taxes, and revenue. It would have been a high-profile arena for Ocasio-Cortez to advocate her progressive agenda, which includes "Medicare for All," the proposal to move the US toward universal coverage through an expansion of government-sponsored healthcare. Two key parts of Ocasio-Cortez's platform, Medicare for All and the "Green New Deal," would need the committee's approval to become law. First-year members of Congress are rarely given seats on high-ranking committees. But representatives from New York usually have at least one seat reserved on the Ways and Means Committee. Ocasio-Cortez's representative said she "hoped to be on it, but we're excited to see what committees she does get." Hollis Johnson/Business Insider A petition championing Ocasio-Cortez for the role reached 90,000 signatures before the committee appointments were announced. Progressive groups like the Justice Democrats, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Socialists of America supported her appointment, The Hill reported. Read more: Meet Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the millennial, socialist political novice who's now the youngest woman ever elected to Congress<doc-sep>House Democratic leaders this week passed over New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and other new progressive firebrands for memberships on powerful committees, despite a viral campaign by liberal activists. Although it is historically rare for freshmen members of Congress to obtain sought-after seats on top committees, progressive groups said they saw the news as a setback, as they hope to enact sweeping environmental and economic reforms in the coming years. The Steering and Policy Committee, chaired by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, formally assigns members to committees. The new Democrats have arrived with more than a little fanfare. Ocasio-Cortez, a 29-year-old self-described Democratic socialist, has repeatedly come up short in her efforts to tangle with senior Democrats in her first days in office -- even as her social media following and positive media coverage remain virtually unmatched. As for Tlaib, 42, she apologized earlier this week for causing a "distraction" by calling President Trump a "motherf---er" and promising to impeach him. Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, announced this week that 10 new returing Democrats had been selected to join the panel, including five members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus: Reps. Dwight Evans, Don Beyer, Gwen Moore, Jimmy Panetta and Steven Horsford. The Ways and Means Committee has vast authority over taxation, as well as Social Security and Medicare. New York Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi was named to the panel instead of Ocasio-Cortez. “Our new members hail from states across the country and bring a diverse array of backgrounds and experiences to our new majority," Neal said in a news release. "Their input will strengthen our work in the coming years to improve Americans’ retirement security, lower health care costs, cut taxes for middle-class families, and modernize our nation’s infrastructure." The far-left advocacy group Justice Democrats had called for Ocasio-Cortez, as well as California Rep. Ro Khanna, to be seated on Ways and Means. Responding to the snub by the committee, Ocasio-Cortez spokesman Corbin Trent said that "she hoped to be on it, but we're excited to see what committees she does get." GROWING NUMBER OF 2020 DEMOCRATS SUPPORTING RADICAL 'GREEN NEW DEAL' Khanna had also personally sought membership on that panel, and advocated for more freshmen representatives to be seated on powerful committees in general. "Progressive representation on key House committees will decide whether or not we get Medicare For All, free college, a Green New Deal, and end to mass deportation and mass incarceration," Jusice Democrats said in a statement on their website. The statement continued: "Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic leaders of the most powerful Congressional Committees are going to decide whether progressives or corporate-backed centrists will represent us in the fight for economic, racial, social and environmental justice." Last week, over the last-minute objections of Ocasio-Cortez and Khanna, House Democrats overwhelmingly approved most of a sweeping new rules package that effectively placed restrictions on some new spending. Progressive groups said the limitation would hinder them from realizing some of their more aggressive goals. Ocasio-Cortez had voted with Khanna to oppose the so-called "pay-go" rule included in the rules package, supported by Pelosi. That rule requires that any new mandatory spending for entitlements or tax cuts be offset by other separate revenue increases (such as tax hikes) or budget-cutting measures so that the new spending does not expand the federal deficit. The pay-go principle, Ocasio-Cortez charged in a tweet Wednesday, was a "dark political maneuver designed to hamstring progress on healthcare" and other legislation. Also shot down was Justice Democrats' bid to have Tlaib placed on the Appropriations Committee, which announced a list of new members on Thursday that did not include Tlaib. The critical committee handles government expenditures. “In my 12 years here, I don’t think there’s ever been a freshman on Approps, Ways and Means or Energy and Commerce," Kentucky Democratic Rep. John Yarmuth, who chairs the Budget committee, told Politico. Democratic Reps. Ed Case and Ann Kirkpatrick are expected to join Appropriations instead. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Tlaib, just days after drawing the ire of some top Democrats for her tirade against Trump, attracted negative press attention again by suggesting that some Republicans have a "dual loyalty" to the U.S. and Israel. "They forgot what country they represent," Tlaib, a Palestinian-American who made history by becoming one of the first two Muslim women to ever serve in Congress, wrote on Twitter, referring to Senate Republicans pushing a pro-Israel bill during the ongoing partial federal government shutdown. Justice Democrats has also campaigned for progressive California Rep. Katie Porter to join the financial services committee. Despite the setbacks, there is some reason for optimism among progressive groups. A growing number of Democrats considering a presidential bid have signaled support for the sweeping "Green New Deal" pushed by Ocasio-Cortez and other liberal lawmakers, underscoring how the 2020 field is being pulled further left by the influential progressive wing. An analysis by Fox News shows at least eight potential Democratic candidates have voiced support for or touted aspects of the proposal, which amounts to a drastic overhaul of the economy and government benefit system. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., 37, who says he is looking at a 2020 presidential run, told Fox News he was “excited” to support the proposal and be a part of the process. “When it comes to climate change, we need to advance policies that don’t ask Americans to choose between their jobs and clean air and water,” Swalwell told Fox News this week. “We can do that by greening the grid with investments in renewable energy and a wage and skills guarantee for any displaced worker.” Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.<doc-sep>
Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has not yet been sworn into Congress, but she’s already eyeing a seat at one of the most powerful House committees in charge of taxation laws. The Democratic Socialist’s spokesperson confirmed to Vice News that she will seek a seat on the House Ways and Means committee, which is traditionally packed with seasoned legislators with experience in writing tax code. Rep. Joe Crawley, the top Democrat who was unseated by Ocasio-Cortez this year, was among the members of the committee. She is eyeing the exact same seat that is customarily reserved for New York City. The effort to get on the committee indicates the progressive Democrats’ growing ambition to bring forward actual progressive bills to the vote, as the committee is instrumental in making that happen. Ocasio-Cortez, together with other freshmen Democrats, has been pushing for grand policies, including Medicare for All and the Green New Deal. Both measures would need to go through the committee before it could be subjected to a vote. But the Democratic leadership may not be so quick to embrace the rising star of the party and instead opt out for a centrist Democrat who would utilize the membership of the committee better. Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents New York’s 3rd district, is also eyeing for the seat, the Intercept reported. He’s deemed a more conservative Democrat, who doesn’t share the hostility of corporations with the progressive wing of the party. “I’m very progressive on a lot of different issues, in support of the Green New Deal, immigration, both those issues, as well as on issues related to poverty,” he told the outlet. “Am I fiscally conservative? Yes, I’m fiscally conservative.” OCASIO-CORTEZ CALLED OUT FOR CLAIMING PENTAGON $$ ERROR COULD FUND MEDICARE FOR ALL Ocasio-Cortez's bid for a seat at the committee may also raise some eyebrows following a number of blunders concerning policies she’s advocating. She was recently called out by various fact checkers for suggesting that a reported $21 trillion in Pentagon accounting errors could fund most of her proposed “Medicare for all” health care program. Multiple fact-checkers and even liberal publications that provide sympathetic coverage of the New York Democrat, slammed her suggestion, noting that The Pentagon’s accounting errors aren’t actual sums of money that could be spent on other programs. The Washington Post said the comment was “swing and a miss!” and awarded her claim “four Pinnochios.” For House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi, the struggle between Ocasio-Cortez and Souzzi will pose a challenge, as she ultimately decides the committee assignments. Members of Ways and Means typically attracts large donations from industries, according to Intercept, yet this wouldn’t be the case with Ocasio-Cortez because she doesn’t accept donations from corporations, thus putting Democrats at a disadvantage in future elections. OCASIO-CORTEZ: 'MEDICARE FOR ALL' WOULD SAVE 'VERY LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY,' DESPITE STUDIES SHOWING $30T COST At the same time, Suozzi is a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus that threatened to derail Pelosi’s speakership bid if she doesn’t give in to their demands, while Ocasio-Cortez supported Pelosi. The group ultimately supported Pelosi but only after she agreed to legislative rule changes that will give priority to bipartisan measures, while limiting the influence of the far-right and far-left in Congress. Ocasio-Cortez also previously criticized the caucus, saying they are advocating for “GOP-friendly rules that will hamstring healthcare efforts from the get-go.”