Day One of Orientation: Protest at Pelosi's Office

Newcomer Ocasio-Cortez joins activists pushing for climate change legislation
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 13, 2018 2:01 PM CST
Ocasio-Cortez Joins Protest at Pelosi's Office
Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY., arrives for orientation for new members of Congress, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018, in Washington.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

It was a pretty safe bet that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was going to get a lot of attention in DC Tuesday as orientation began for new incoming members of Congress. The 29-year-old from Queens is, after all, the youngest woman ever elected to the House. But Ocasio-Cortez made more headlines than usual because she ended up participating in a protest at Nancy Pelosi's office, reports USA Today. On Twitter, Ocasio-Cortez explained that young activists pushing for legislation on climate change asked her to join them, and she accepted. Pelosi, for her part, didn't seem to mind, issuing a statement saying she welcomed the protesters and urging police to leave them be.

“We need a Green New Deal and we need to get to 100% renewables because our lives depend on it,” Ocasio-Cortez told reporters. She said the issue affected her "not just as an elected member, but as a 29-year-old woman" worried about the coming decades. Despite Pelosi's plea, police arrested dozens of protesters, though Ocasio-Cortez had left by then. A spokesperson for House Speaker Paul Ryan got in a dig at the chain of events. "Huh, well this is unconventional," wrote AshLee Strong in an email to reporters. "The incoming speaker is getting protested by one of her freshman [sic]." (Ocasio-Cortez wasn't happy with all the perks New York City just gave Amazon.)

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