Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said now is the time for workers to not go back to work in order to demand higher wages and other benefits as businesses are scheduled to reopen in some parts of the United States during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In a promotional video for Vice's "SEAT AT THE TABLE," Ocasio-Cortez told host Anand Giridharadas that "only in America when the President tweets about 'liberation' does he mean, 'go back to work.'"
"When we, you know, have this discussion about going back or reopening, I think a lot of people should just say, 'No. We're not going back to that. We're not going back to working 70 hour weeks just so that we can put food on the table and not even feel any semblance of security in our lives,'" Ocasio-Cortez said.
Only in America does "liberation" mean going back to work.@AOC sits down with @anandwrites to talk about why a return to normalcy isn't enough in a post-coronavirus world. SEAT AT THE TABLE premieres tonight at 10p. #seatatthetable pic.twitter.com/fNE9reHeKG
— VICE TV (@VICETV) April 22, 2020
President Trump's administration has laid out guidelines for states to follow should they feel ready to reopen segments of the economy after taking a huge hit from the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. Over 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment since states have implemented "stay-at-home" orders, which includes shutting down "non-essential" businesses.
Ocasio-Cortez came under fire on Monday after she responded to the news of oil futures trading in the negative since the demand for the commodity has reached new lows, with "You absolutely love to see it."
As a result, some estimates have projected 50-75,000 jobs loss in the energy sector, while others projecting job loss reaching as high as 200,000.