Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticizes Pelosi and Schumer, calls for 'new leadership in the Democratic Party'

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez insisted that top Democrats House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should no longer head the party.
• "We need new leadership in the Democratic Party," Ocasio-Cortez said in new podcast with the Intercept on Wednesday.
• The criticism comes as stimulus talks between the Democratic leaders and their Republican counterparts are ongoing.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez insisted that top Democrats House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should no longer head the party during a new podcast with The Intercept on Wednesday.

"We need new leadership in the Democratic Party," Ocasio-Cortez told host Jeremy Scahill.

The criticism comes as stimulus talks between the Democratic leaders and their Republican counterparts, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, have escalated in recent days. The parties appear near to finalizing a deal that would provide much-needed relief to Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"We, the Democratic Party, gave up a lot of leverage," Ocasio-Cortez said of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in March. The legislation was "everything that the Republican Party wanted."

"I knew that if we gave away the farm then, we would have very little leverage to get them back to the negotiating table afterwards," she added. "And I'm afraid that that is the situation that we're dealing with right now."

Congressional leaders have held up additional aid to Americans for the past eight months, while unemployment rates remain above pre-pandemic levels and millions face food insecurity and are at risk of eviction.

"Isn't this grounds, though, to take a stand, and say: 'No, I'm sorry. Nancy Pelosi should not be the speaker and Chuck Schumer should not be the leader?'" Scahill asked.

The progressive Democrat from New York agreed, though argued that replacing them wasn't simple. She laid blame on the left wing of the party, as well as its more moderate members, who have neglected to build a next generation of leadership.

"The internal dynamics of the House has made it such that there is very little option for succession," she said. "The Speaker has indicated that she may be looking at transitioning and leaving at some point, and the left isn't really making a plan for that either. It's something that we need to think about."

House Democrats have already nominated Pelosi to serve as speaker next year and she is likely to retain her top spot. However, the California congresswoman has signaled that she will step down after the two-year term.

"It's easy for someone to say: 'Oh, well, why don't you run?'" Ocasio-Cortez said. "But the House is extraordinarily complex. And I'm not ready. It can't be me. I know that I couldn't do that job."