Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Blasts Lauren Boebert for CPAC Rant Against Government Benefits

In an appearance this weekend at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) gave a speech decrying the very government benefits she grew up with. “We’re here to tell government: ‘We don’t want your benefits. We don’t want your welfare,’” Boebert shouted to the Dallas crowd. “Don’t come to us with your Fauci ouchie. Leave us the hell alone!” It’s a classic case of conservative hypocrisy, especially as Boebert frequently boasts of growing up on welfare.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) quickly took Boebert to task on Twitter, tweeting “Tell ‘em loud and proud girl! GOP will strip your unemployment protections and dismantle any semblance of a public safety net we have left! Then make working people pay way more for everything on low wages while Wall St gets a meal ticket! Good ol conservative values baby! 🤑”

Boebert fired back by attacking Ocasio-Cortez’s grandmother, and then disproved her own point yet again by reminding us that she grew up on welfare. Boebert claimed to “want more” for the people, but I don’t see how slashing benefits and food stamps gains anyone … anything?

Boebert’s comments are a classic example of Republican cruelty (and racist microaggressions), relying on personal insults and attacks because her politics can’t stand for themselves. It truly baffles me how these right-wingers keep coming at Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter when she is a master of the medium.

Ocasio-Cortez responded by tweeting, “Thank you for proving to the world that today’s version of ‘conservative role model’ is a person who mocks other people’s ill grandparents on the internet. I can promise you I will treat your family better than you do mine. And I’ll fight for your constituents more, too.”

While Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan has extended lifesaving unemployment benefits to countless struggling families, Republicans are desperate to keep that money out of the hands of the people who need it. Despite the benefits extension, 25 Republican governors (and Louisiana’s democratic governor) have announced they’re cutting off benefits early.

And yet when billionaires want tax breaks, Republicans willingly fall in line to please them. Between the economic cruelty of cutting benefits and the dangerous misinformation they spread about COVID-19 and the vaccines, Republicans clearly have one goal: keeping their constituents sick, poor, and hungry.

(via HuffPost, image: screencap/Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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