AOC Slams Senate Dems for Approving Another Trump Nominee: “Stop Playing Nice!”

Shortly after Democratic legislators voiced concerns that billionaire Elon Musk’s increasing control over federal agencies could signal “the start of a dictatorship,” voiced their displeasure at being denied entry to the U.S. Agency for International Development, and pledged to initiate legislative and legal measures to thwart Musk’s “scandalous” actions, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized Democrats who are acting as if there is no ongoing constitutional crisis.

“No Democrat ought to be voting to push forward [President Donald] Trump’s nominees amid these events,” declared the New York Representative during a 90-minute Instagram Live broadcast on Monday night. “There needs to be a political cost, and as a party, it’s our duty to obstruct everything that’s happening while they basically torch the federal government.”

In her live stream—which reviewed Musk’s commandeering of the Treasury Department’s payment systems, USAID, and his proposal to slash billions in federal funding for social services in order to extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy—the Senate was in the process of confirming fracking company CEO Chris Wright as the new secretary of energy.

Seven Democratic senators—Sens. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)—voted in favor of Wright, along with Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), who aligns with the Democrats.

Apart from disregarding Musk’s overtaking of USAID and payment systems holding the personal data of millions receiving Social Security, Medicare, and other government disbursements, these Democrats endorsed a nominee who has accused their party of advocating for Soviet-style communism through climate crisis initiatives and who has stated, “There is no climate crisis.”

“Business as usual is unacceptable while Elon Musk instigates a constitutional crisis.”

Ocasio-Cortez argued that the Trump administration and the GOP should be made to “struggle for every step. The more they’re slowed down, the less destruction they can cause.”

“We need to stop being polite in the Senate and obstruct everything possible,” stated Ocasio-Cortez, who specifically did not mention Wright’s confirmation vote. “Do not lend support to the nominees.”

Ocasio-Cortez called on voters to contact their senators and demand opposition to Trump’s remaining nominees, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health and human services secretary, Pam Bondi for attorney general, and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for United Nations ambassador.

Although Democrats, with 47 seats in the Senate compared to the Republicans’ 53, lack the numbers to outright block the president’s nominees through voting, they can urge for nominations to be pulled back, as was the case with former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general amidst allegations of sexual abuse against him—and at least demonstrate “a gesture of resistance,” as historian Keith Orejel noted on Tuesday.

Support was shown for Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who announced during a rally outside USAID on Monday, his intention to impose a blanket hold on all of Trump’s nominees for State Department roles until Musk and the administration cease their actions to dismantle USAID.

“Unless this blatantly authoritarian move is reversed and USAID is operational again, I will maintain a blanket hold on all of the Trump administration’s State Department nominees,” Schatz declared. “This self-created turmoil is of monumental scale and will have perilous repercussions worldwide.”

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) expressed his backing for Schatz’s holds, stating to a journalist, “We’re all in this fight together.”

A blanket hold signals to the Senate majority leader that lawmakers would oppose a nomination by unanimous consent, thus delaying the confirmation process and other legislative activities the Republicans aim to address.

The blanket hold could directly affect Stefanik’s nomination for U.N. ambassador.

Schatz’s decision was hailed as “essential leadership” by Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the activist organization Indivisible.

“There is no justification for business as usual,” she commented, “while Elon Musk is inciting a constitutional crisis.”