Rebel HQ/YouTube; Jacquelyn Martin/AP
A composite image of New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, whose legislative teams are working together.
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ted Cruz have formed an unlikely alliance to push against former members of congress working as lobbyists.
- "It's super bizarre, really weird, never thought in my life that one of my first pushes would be alongside Ted Cruz," she said in an interview with the Young Turks Rebel HQ, posted Thursday.
- The two formed the alliance after discovering in a Twitter exchange they shared similar views on former lawmakers working for lobbying firms after they leave office.
- "Bipartisanship means, OK, I will swallow all of my distaste in this situation because we have found a common interest," Ocasio-Cortez said.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat for New York, has discussed the unlikely legislative alliance she's formed with Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican for Texas, in their push for lobbying reforms in Congress.
The lawmakers on Tuesday announced that their legislative teams were meeting to discuss a potential measure that would see members of Congress barred from taking part in lobbying work even after leaving office.
"It's super bizarre, really weird," she said in an interview with the Young Turks Rebel HQ, published Thursday. "Never thought in my life that one of my first pushes would be alongside Ted Cruz."
"I think it really shows what the true spirit of not being partisan is," she added. "Bipartisanship doesn't mean let's come together to go to war and lower taxes on the rich, but bipartisanship means, OK, I will swallow all of my distaste in this situation because we have found a common interest."
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Ocasio-Cortez criticized members of Congress who leave and become lobbyists on Twitter last week.
It was during an exchange on Twitter that Ocasio-Cortez and Cruz - who have been poles apart on most political issues - discovered they shared common ground in their views on Washington, DC's lobbying industry.
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on May 30: "If you are a member of Congress + leave, you shouldn't be allowed to turn right around&leverage your service for a lobbyist check."
"I don't think it should be legal at ALL to become a corporate lobbyist if you've served in Congress," she added. "At minimum there should be a long wait period."
Cruz tweeted hours later: "Here's something I don't say often: on this point, I AGREE with @AOC."
"Indeed, I have long called for a LIFETIME BAN on former Members of Congress becoming lobbyists. The Swamp would hate it, but perhaps a chance for some bipartisan cooperation?" he added, referring to Washington, DC, which is often likened to a swamp.
"If you're serious about a clean bill, then I'm down. Let's make a deal," replied Ocasio-Cortez, who has committed to fighting the influence of dark money in US
There are currently multiple bills preventing members of Congress from becoming lobbyists after they leave office, Vox reported, but Ocasio-Cortez said there are still some loopholes that allow former lawmakers to work for lobbying firms in an advisory capacity - meaning they aren't directly registered as lobbyists.
"The real question here that we're trying to figure out in this collaboration is how far he's willing to go," Ocasio-Cortez said of Cruz. "Is this just about the letter of the law or is he serious about really banning lobbying in spirit?"
Here's something I don't say often: on this point, I AGREE with @AOC Indeed, I have long called for a LIFETIME BAN on former Members of Congress becoming lobbyists. The Swamp would hate it, but perhaps a chance for some bipartisan cooperation? https://t.co/jPW0xkH2Yy
- Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 30, 2019"I'm really looking forward to seeing where and how far they'd be willing to move on that, but I'm encouraged," she said.
Some congressional experts have warned that crafting a bill broad enough to combat the issue may be virtually impossible, and would likely face legal hurdles, Vox and The Hill reported.