Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

GOP Rep. Scolded AOC To 'Educate' Herself On The House Floor–It Did Not End Well For Him

GOP Rep. Scolded AOC To 'Educate' Herself On The House Floor–It Did Not End Well For Him

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez clapped back at Republican Rep. Duncan after he told her to 'educate' herself on natural gas.

South Carolina Republican Representative Jeff Duncan scolded New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to "educate" herself during a debate on the floor of the House of Representatives about oil and natural gas production on federal land.

And she was not having it.


Duncan supports increased use of fossil fuels and was this week named the Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee Chairman on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which helps shape American energy policy.

So, it came as no surprise that he was angry with Ocasio-Cortez's opposition to increasing the country's reliance on fossil fuels—although his condescending attitude while speaking to his Democratic colleague was notable.

You can watch what happened in the video below.

Duncan urged AOC to "educate" herself on the impact of natural gas:

"Go and learn. Go ahead and learn about this. Educate yourself about how America obtained its low emissions. If you care about air quality, if you care about climate change, natural gas is what got America there."
"Educate yourself on that and we'll have a better debate about future resources, future energy production. But this debate tonight is not about any of that."

To which Ocasio-Cortez replied:

"I understand in this body [of Congress] it's not the first time that the opposing side can't seem to be able to debate the issue and so they must come after my character."
"While I cannot control the fact that the other side seems to have made the assumption that I am uneducated, one of the things that I can say or what they may say about my world view, one of the things I can say is that while I may not work for Wall Street, that is true."
"I may not be here with the mission to increase profits for corporations. That is true. 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. That is what this amendment is about."
"Moreover, [when] we talk about education, we should all take it upon ourselves in this body to educate ourselves on the science of the challenge of climate change that is before us."

Shortly afterward, Ocasio-Cortez shared video of her exchange with Duncan and tweeted:

"Fewer things are more predictable than Republicans having a meltdown when I’m clearing them in debate."

You can see her tweet below.

Ocasio-Cortez's response was met with praise online.



Ocasio-Cortez was responding to Duncan as the House considered a bill to require the federal government “to approve a plan to increase drilling on federal lands and waters” before drawing from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in non-emergency cases.

She later said Duncan was angry with her for proposing an amendment to the legislation on the grounds that leasing more land to fossil fuel companies would not guarantee lower gas prices because companies making profits are not going to "pass along" savings to consumers.

Ocasio-Cortez said Duncan was responding in particular to her proposal, which would "prohibit oil and gas companies who engage in stock buybacks from leasing federal lands."

More from People/alexandria-ocasio-cortez

Characters from 'Win or Lose'
Disney/Pixar

Disney Slammed For Adding Christian Character To Show After Cutting Trans Storyline

Disney came under fire for cutting a trans storyline and adding an openly Christian character in the new animated Pixar series Win or Lose on Disney+.

The contradictory pivot comes as part of the company's new commitment to significantly alter its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in response to a cultural shift towards conservatism pushed by Republican President Donald Trump's second White House term.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rep. Al Green
WIN MCNAMEE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Democrat Who Was Kicked Out Of Trump's Speech Posts Defiant Message In Face Of Censure Vote

Before facing a censure vote for disrupting Republican President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress, Texas Democratic Representative Al Green vehemently expressed that he would not back down from his fight against the injustice facing constituents relying on Medicaid.

On Tuesday, Green stood up during Trump's mostly partisan congressional address and heckled Trump after the President claimed he had won a governing mandate from voters, to which Green yelled, “You have no mandate!"

Keep ReadingShow less
Cassandra Peterson as Elvira, Elon Musk
Michael Tran/FilmMagic; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

MAGA Fumes After Elvira Donates Tesla To NPR With Blunt Message For Musk In Viral Video

Actor and activist Cassandra Peterson—best known for playing the gothic horror character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark—had social media users cackling after she mocked billionaire Elon Musk by painting "Elon sux" on the side of her Tesla before donating it to NPR, angering Trump supporters in the process.

In her debut video, Peterson steps away from her iconic Elvira persona. Gone are the signature brunette wig and the plunging black gown — instead, she sports a casual black beanie.

Keep ReadingShow less
Back view shot of a young guy, dressed in a suit. He looks out into Times Square.
Photo by Saulo Mohana on Unsplash

People Debate Which Professions Will Die Out Within A Decade

With the rise of AI and automation, many careers feel like they could be on the chopping block.

As much as some life advancements in science and labor have been brilliant, many human-based positions are deemed irrelevant.

Keep ReadingShow less
ghost town in western United States
Nadia Jamnik on Unsplash

Americans Describe The Creepiest Town They Ever Visited On A Road Trip

I've lived in a small town in far Northern Maine for most of my life.

Let me just say, there's a reason Stephen King bases most of his horror stories in rural Maine.

Keep ReadingShow less