In a humiliating exchange, AOC lost her cool during a House of Representatives hearing and engaged in a five-minute tirade, ranting incoherently and calling out Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) following remarks made by Higgins that criticized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
For context, the House of Representatives held a hearing on July 10, 2024, which covered the proliferation of so-called “forever chemicals” due to the manufacturing practices of major corporations like 3M and DuPont. Lousiana representative Clay Higgins, a staunch Republican, pushed back at the critiques of these companies, arguing that tighter restrictions from the EPA would jeopardize American jobs and weaken the economy.
In response to Rep. Higgins’ comments, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez spent five minutes protesting Higgins’ critique of the EPA, starting with an incoherent point about the “state of nature” before the Industrial Revolution. AOC began, “Our rivers and forests were clean and unpolluted before a single factory was constructed in this country; that is the state of nature. I want us to be clear about that now.”
Continuing her statement, AOC was unable to back up her core argument, instead appealing to emotion by focusing on the dangers of PFAS (forever chemicals). She asked EPA Commissioner Micahel Regan, “What are some of the health consequences that we have seen as a result of elevated levels of PFAs for everyday Americans?”
In response to AOC’s questioning, Commissioner Regan explained that PFAS have been linked to health risks, saying, “They range from various types of cancers, death, these carcinogen genetic elements are wreaking havoc on communities all across the country.”
Moving forward with her statement, AOC took Commissioner Regan’s point and ran away with it, exploding into an emotionally charged rant about environmental destruction wrought by US-based companies. Disregarding the issue at hand, economic stability for Americans, AOC pontificated, “Now, when we talk about economic prosperity, if you’re a kid in the South Bronx, if you are a mom in rural Pennsylvania near a PFAs dumping site. Who comes ahead when you get cancer and have a medical bill to pay? Who comes out ahead from that PFAs dumping, the CEO of DuPont, or that mom?”
Concluding her statement, AOC refused to make a coherent point, changing the subject to the oil industry and accusing companies like Exxon of “burning the planet to a crisp.” AOC concluded by thanking EPA Commissioner Regan, saying, “I know that you have spent your entire time and your entire family, your time, protecting families from being poisoned.”
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Predictably, AOC’s tirade was not enough to deter Rep. Higgins from introducing legislation that would dramatically limit the EPA’s ability to interfere with American jobs. On December 27, 2024, Rep. Higgins partnered with Rep. William Timmons (R-SC) to create a bill that will “eliminate regulatory burdens that threaten America’s chemical manufacturers and refiners.”
Watch AOC’s statement:
Featured image: Screen shot from embedded video