AOC Named One Of The Least Effective Members Of Congress According To Nonpartisan Study
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was just named as one of the least effective members of the last Congress according to a new study from the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking. The Center is a joint project of Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia.
According to the study, AOC introduced a total of 21 bills but they fell flat getting no action in committees, no floor votes, with not one becoming law.
“She introduced a lot of bills, but she was not successful at having them receive any sort of action in committee or beyond committee and if they can’t get through committee they cannot pass the House,” Alan Wiseman, a Vanderbilt political scientist and co-director of the center said.
“It’s clear that she was trying to get her legislative agenda moving and engage with the lawmaking process. But she wasn’t as successful as some other members were — even among other freshmen — at getting people to pay attention to her legislation,” he added.
From The New York Post:
Among the bills that died at birth were a federal overhaul of public housing, a ban on fracking, and a mandate to provide full federal public benefits to illegal aliens.
Democratic House insiders said many of Ocasio-Cortez’s colleagues found her approach alienating.
“Tweeting is easy, governing is hard. You need to have friends. You need to understand the committee process, you need to be willing to make sacrifices,” said one. “Her first day in Congress … she decided to protest outside of Nancy Pelosi’s office.”
A second Democratic insider who worked with her in the New York delegation added that “legislation was never her focus. It was media and narrative.”
Across the aisle, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Brooklyn/Staten Island), told The Post, “Her ludicrous policy ideas would destroy our country — Americans should be thankful she’s not effective.” As a current freshman Malliotakis does not appear on the list.
Reps for Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to request for comment from The Post.
Fellow Democratic Socialist “Squad” members fared better than AOC. Rep. Ilhan Omar sponsored 33 bills that also went nowhere, earning her 214th place, while Rep. Rashida Tlaib saw three of her substantive bills advance into committee — with one ultimately becoming law. She ranked 92nd.
Things weren’t much better over in the Senate where Kirsten Gillibrand clocked in at 39 of 45 — with none of the substantive bills she proposed becoming law.
Chuck Schumer landed at 33 — though Wiseman stressed that pols in leadership positions often fared poorly as their jobs required them to assist other members with their initiatives.
Study declares AOC one of the least effective members of Congress https://t.co/KQWYZVjOTR pic.twitter.com/AgrDOeqPTO
— New York Post (@nypost) April 3, 2021
Finally some disarray https://t.co/cq4avkYNB8
— Terri Rupar (@terri_rupar) April 3, 2021