Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Monday that, if reports are true about the contents of an emerging COVID-19 stimulus bill that Congress is negotiating with the White House, she plans to vote against the legislation.
A draft of the bill reportedly includes new funding for hospitals, coronavirus testing and a small business loan program, but omitted key progressive priorities. Left-leaning members of Congress want more aid to cities and states, relief for renters, universal vote-by-mail and aid to undocumented immigrants.
In a news conference held by progressive lawmakers and activists, Ocasio-Cortez said her district’s suffering inspired her to insist upon more ambitious legislation. She represents immigrant-heavy neighborhoods in central Queens with some of the country’s highest death rates.
“I am not here for a $5 bill,” she said. “I’m not ― and I will not insult my community with one.”
Ocasio-Cortez was the only member of Congress who participated in the news conference to threaten a “no” vote, but Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, also expressed their tentative worries about it. | 
