Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas) recently leveled quite the condescending dig at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) during a House committee hearing this week. And gender studies experts say the congressman’s “reprehensible” comment highlights a concerning trend among GOP elected officials.
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a hearing, which ran into the early morning hours on Wednesday, on the future of Medicaid and the GOP-proposed cuts to the state-federal program that covers health care costs for more than 70 million Americans. At one point in the hearing, Ocasio-Cortez addressed some of the exemptions to the GOP’s proposed work requirements for Medicaid, asking whether there would be exemptions to the requirements for someone after they experienced a pregnancy loss.
But Weber interrupted Ocasio-Cortez to suggest she was playing to the cameras. “I’m glad you’re addressing us instead of speaking to the camera,” he said. “Keep going.”
Weber then cut off Ocasio-Cortez moments later to reclaim his time, saying: “I just want to make the point that we like for you to address Republicans — and let’s have a dialogue this way, and not to a camera.”
Ocasio-Cortez later addressed Weber’s remarks by looking directly at the camera, saying: “There are 13.7 million Americans on the other side of that screen right there. Hello, hello, I’m talking to you, because I work for you.”
