Senate Republicans killed the corrupt “For the People Act” on Tuesday night, preventing Democrats from implementing a federal takeover of elections. The legislation was voted down along party lines, receiving 50 votes in favor from the whole Democratic caucus.
In mourning the defeat of a major progressive priority, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) falsely claimed that “a minority of senators” squashed the legislation and that “a majority of legislators” voted for the bill, when the Senate is split at 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats.
“Call me radical, but I do not believe a minority of Senators should be able to block voting rights for millions of people,” the self-proclaimed socialist congresswoman wrote on Twitter. “But I guess I’m just from that far-left school of thought that legislation should pass when a majority of legislators vote for it.”
Call me radical, but I do not believe a minority of Senators should be able to block voting rights for millions of people.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 23, 2021
But I guess I’m just from that far-left school of thought that legislation should pass when a majority of legislators vote for it https://t.co/NTtk28BwRs
Twitter users took note of the congresswoman's bad math:
I’d like to know more about the “far-left school of thought” that teaches that either side has a majority when the vote is 50/50. https://t.co/Us65qK8qu0
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) June 23, 2021
50 is not a minority of senators https://t.co/ASEnqhOfNr
— Logan Dobson (@LoganDobson) June 23, 2021
AOC thinks 50/100 Senators is a minority. https://t.co/L9d0lGFcnh
— John Cooper (@thejcoop) June 23, 2021
Senate Democrats hoped to nuke the legislative filibuster in order to bypass the 60-vote threshold and pass the legislation without GOP consent, but Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) have committed to keeping the filibuster intact.
