Ocasio-Cortez Urges Democrats to Stand Firm Amid Government Shutdown

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called on her Democratic colleagues in Congress to resist President Donald Trump as the federal government faces a shutdown Wednesday morning over a budget standoff.

“Protecting people is too important a task for us to give up before anything even starts,” she told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Tuesday evening.

Democrats Push Healthcare Protections

Republicans proposed a bill to fund the government at current levels while spending negotiations continue. However, Democrats demand an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year.

Trump has dismissed concerns that the shutdown could hurt his public standing. But Ocasio-Cortez said the president should worry. She argued that both Trump and the Republican Party are weaker than they appear.

Perception vs. Reality

“What they rely on is the impression of power, the perception of inevitability, in us giving up in advance,” Ocasio-Cortez explained. She noted that this perceived power pressures people to “comply, acquiesce, and give up before anything even starts.”

Yet, polls suggest the public is turning against both Trump and his congressional enablers.

Unpopularity Fuels Republican Missteps

“Donald Trump is at record levels of unpopularity,” she said. “The Republican House is underwater across the board, and they know it. That is causing them to double down in public, but it is backfiring.”

She emphasized that Democrats must not blink. “We have too much to save,” she said.

Defending American Healthcare

Ocasio-Cortez also highlighted the opportunity to protect millions of Americans’ healthcare. In a post on X, she wrote, “Trump is FAR weaker than he looks, and Republicans in Congress know their approval ratings are plunging. We now have a chance to defend the healthcare of millions of Americans. Let’s take it.”

Trump’s Threats Against Federal Workers

The congresswoman dismissed Trump’s threat to fire federal employees during the shutdown. “Donald Trump is trying to play this bluffing game of holding the entire federal workforce hostage,” she said.

She added that Trump has already been firing employees through his Department of Government Efficiency initiative earlier this year. “They are firing everybody. They are completely eliminating the federal workforce,” she said.