Democrat firebrand Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is amping up her call for the White House to address climate change - comparing the nation's swift response to terror attacks with its slow reaction to natural disasters.
The freshman congresswoman compared the government's reaction to 9/11 with the slow and unorganized response to Puerto Rico after the island was hit by the deadly Hurricane Maria in 2017.
'In the events of September 11, 2001, thousands of Americans died in the largest terrorist attack on US soil and our national response, whether we agree with it or not, was to go to war in one then eventually two countries,' she said during an 'All In' town hall at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in the Bronx on Friday hosted by MSNBC's Chris Hayes.
'3,000 Americans died in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Where is our response?' she added as the crowd erupted with applause.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez amped up her campaign for the White House to address climate change during an 'All In' town hall at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in the Bronx on Friday
During the talk moderated by MSNBC host Chris Hayes she defended the Green New Deal and compared the government's urgent response to war and conflict to its slow approach to natural disasters such as Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017
'3,000 Americans died in Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. Where is our response?' she asked, comparing the lives lost in the natural disaster to the government's response to 9/11, another tragedy that saw the loss of thousands of American lives
She also defended her Green New Deal initiative saying 'we have to mobilize our entire economy around saving ourselves and taking care of this planet'
The Trump administration has been heavily criticized for its slow and ineffective response to the national emergency on the U.S. island.
After FEMA announced the death toll on the island was nearly 3,000, Trump tweeted denying the number.
In the months following the September 2017 hurricane, FEMA admitted to having widespread failures in its response to the humanitarian aid.
By January the president insisted his administration 'did a fantastic job' and criticized the island when it asked for billions of dollars to rebuild.
In the 9/11 terror attack about 3,000 lives were lost and more than 6,000 people were injured.
The New York Rep said on Friday that she’s seen the U.S. government mobilize its resources in dire situations, principally when it comes to conflict and war.
'Historically speaking, we have mobilized our entire economy around war. But I thought to myself it doesn't have to be that way, especially when our greatest existential threat is climate change,' AOC said.
'Historically speaking, we have mobilized our entire economy around war. But I thought to myself it doesn't have to be that way, especially when our greatest existential threat is climate change,' AOC said during the town hall panel on Friday. The devastation of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico pictured above in September 2017
She noted that the U.S. is quick and effective in responding to threats like conflict and war as with 9/11, but ignores other threats like climate change. The rubble of the collapsed World Trade Center pictured above
'And so to get us out of this situation, to revamp our economy to create dignified jobs for working Americans, to guarantee health care and elevate our educational opportunities and attainment, we will have to mobilize our entire economy around saving ourselves and taking care of this planet,' she added, tying climate change back to the Green New Deal proposal.
AOC went on to defend her proposed stimulus program and reject the Republican criticism of it.
'I didn't expect them to make total fools of themselves. I expected a little more nuance, and I expected a little more "concern trolling,"' she said.
She went on to defend her plan, which calls for a full transition to renewable energy by 2030, saying it economically and politically feasible.
'We don't have time for five years of a half-baked, watered-down position. This is urgent, and to think that we have time is such a privileged and removed-from-reality attitude that we cannot tolerate,' she said.
Some Twitter users commended her for her straightforward approach and demanding justice for Puerto Rico after it suffered poor government aid post Hurricane Maria
The Backlash: Not everyone agreed with the Congress freshman's statements
Many were quick to note that the Trump administration did respond to the Hurricane, but its efforts were rendered ineffective due to disorganization on the island
This Twitter user said that the government pursues war for its own economic interests
Some critics hit back that the 'common denominator' between 9/11 and Hurricane Maria isn't lost American lives
'So this issue is not just about our climate. First and foremost we need to save ourselves. Period. There will be no future for the Bronx. There will be no livable future for generations coming, for any part of this country in a way that is better than the lot that we have today if we don't address this issue urgently and on the scale of the problem,' AOC added.
AOC told the town hall attendees that she hopes the initiative can at least spark conversation in D.C. about the dire reality of climate change and how to use the American economy as a way to tackle it in a manner similar to the government's head-on approach to the Great Depression and World War II.
Critics on Twitter didn't see quite eye-to-eye with AOC's comparison.
'One was a natural event (sometimes called and act of God) which was unavoidable. The other was an act of war, whose intention is complete and total world domination by an extremist ideology. That's called apples and oranges,' another said.
'Ummmm, not really. The common denominator is dead Americans. It should be unacceptable but somehow the latter has been pretty much 'thoughts and prayers'd rather than actually addressed,' one Twitter user said, opposing her comparison.
'Guess you are unaware of all the containers of food & other necessities the US sent ahead of time. Many supplies rotted bc the supplies couldn't get to the ppl bc Puerto Rico didn't make room for them to unload the materials to get to the ppl,' another social media user said on the disorganization of the government aid.
'There's no money to be made destroying a hurricane,' another Twitter user wrote.
photo link
https://textbacklinkexchanges.com/aoc-compares-the-governments-response-to-9-11-with-hurricane-maria-as-she-speaks-on-climate-change/
News Photo AOC compares the government's response to 9/11 with Hurricane Maria as she speaks on climate change
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