Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) joined the campaign trail for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) over the weekend in Queens, New York. She praised his progressive agenda and his helping to lead a "working-class revolution."
But, conservatives' ears perked up when the freshman lawmaker started talking about education. Ocasio-Cortez recalled how as a young child in the Bronx, her school options weren't the best. Teachers and students just "weren't given the tools" they needed to succeed. So, her family made "a really hard decision" and moved into a small house in Westchester County, about 45 minutes outside of New York City.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos thanked AOC for unintentionally making the case for school choice.
Picking the best school for you is called school choice. Glad your family had an option, @aoc. Now let’s help every child! #EducationFreedom https://t.co/c3tJ6PWXE7
— Secretary Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVosED) October 20, 2019
DeVos has made school choice one of her banner agenda items since assuming her title. She and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act earlier this year, a tax credit that would go toward donations to private school scholarships and other school choice initiatives. Critics charged that the program would take money from public schools, but DeVos penned an op-ed explaining that that was not the case.
"This program won’t take a single cent from local public school teachers or public school students," she wrote. "In fact, some states may choose to use the scholarships to enhance and improve already existing public school options."
Ocasio-Cortez's fellow "Squad" member Ilhan Omar (D-MN) also endorsed Sanders for president last week. The senator suffered a heart attack three weeks ago and underwent surgery. But at his New York rally Sanders said he was "back" and "more ready than ever."