Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Can’t Afford D.C. Apartment Until Congressional Salary Kicks In
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made history on November 6 by becoming the youngest woman ever to be elected to Congress after the 29-year-old won a seat in the House of Representatives.
Unfortunately, the Democratic representative said that a move to Washington D.C. is on hold until her congresswoman’s salary kicks in because she won’t be able to afford an apartment in the area until then.
Newsweek reported that Ocasio-Cortez was waiting tables and bartending before winning against former Representative Joe Crowley in the Democratic primaries.
In an interview with The New York Times, Ocasio-Cortez said that the life changes she’s now presented with are “very unusual, because I can’t really take a salary. I have three months without a salary before I’m a member of Congress. So, how do I get an apartment? Those little things are very real.”
Ocasio-Cortez noted to the newspaper that although she and her partner had been saving just in case of a win and a potential move to D.C., there was still no way she could afford to jump ship from her home in New York until she is officially sworn in.
“We’re kind of just dealing with the logistics of it day by day, but I’ve really been just kind of squirreling away and then hoping that gets me to January,” said Ocasio-Cortez.
“There can be no love without justice.”
– bell hooks pic.twitter.com/uzaQQO6ydD
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 8, 2018
Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter in response to The New York Times tweeting her current economic situation to their readers that what is occurring to her is a hurdle for any regular person who wants to represent their constituents.
“There are many little ways in which our electoral system isn’t even designed (nor prepared) for working-class people to lead,” she tweeted.
“This is one of them (don’t worry [by the way – we’re working it out!)”
Ocasio-Cortez won her seat with 78 percent of the vote to Republican Anthony Pappas’s 14 percent stated Newsweek due to her fresh outlook on politics and her interest in making change within her own party.
There are many little ways in which our electoral system isn’t even designed (nor prepared) for working-class people to lead.
This is one of them (don’t worry btw – we’re working it out!)
?? https://t.co/PEQ5ccSDSO— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 8, 2018
The New York Times reported that Ocasio-Cortez said that voters were hopeful she would maintain her stance while fighting the good fight for the constituents who helped elect her to the office.
“We know how much pressure you’re going to be under even from within your own party,” she said, explaining the fears she has heard from admirers of her politics. “We know you’re going to be under pressure to fall in line. Just please don’t do it.”
