AOC Fires Back at Republican Who Told Her to ‘Educate Yourself,’ Suggests He’s in Congress to Boost Corporate Profits

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) hit back at Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), who said she is ignorant about fossil fuels.

The House debated oil and gas drilling on federal land Thursday night. Republicans introduced a bill that would require the federal government to approve more drilling on government property before drawing from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve in non-emergency situations.

Ocasio-Cortez proposed an amendment that would impose certain limits on oil and gas leases.

“We know that leasing more land to fossil fuel companies does not guarantee that gas prices will drop,” Ocasio-Cortez said on the House floor. “As we’ve seen this past year, even when these companies have record profits they do not pass along those savings to their consumers. What leasing more land does do, however, is guarantee that we will accelerate the devastating impact of climate change.”

Her remarks prompted Duncan to rise in response

“Go and learn for yourself about this,” he said to her, rather than addressing his comments to the chair, per House rules. “Educate yourself on how America attained its low emissions. You care about the air quality, you care about climate change. Natural gas is what got America there. Educate yourself on that.”

Ocasio-Cortez then returned to the lectern.

“I understand in this body it’s not the first time that it seems as though the opposing side can’t seem to be able to debate the issue,” she said. “And so, they must come after my character.”

The congresswoman said though she “cannot control the fact that the other side seems to have made the assumption that I am uneducated,” she is not in Congress “with the mission to increase profits for corporations.”

“My mission here is for the well-being and dignity of our family and our planet’s future, for our children’s ability to live on this planet,” she added. “That is what this amendment is about.”