She is the queen of Twitter – but she is less successful in making laws.
Congressman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., was among the least effective members of the last Congress, according to new research by the nonpartisan Center for Effective Lawmaking – a joint project by Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia.
Ocasio-Cortez presented a total of 21 bills that the center defined as “nouns” – but that is where the story ends. Its legislation has not received any action on committees, no vote in plenary and none has become law, according to the center, which obtains its data from Congress.gov.
“She submitted many bills, but she was unsuccessful in getting them to take any action on the committee or outside the committee and if they failed to get through the committee, they could not pass the House,” said Alan Wiseman, political scientist de Vanderbilt and co-director of the center, he told the Post.
“It is clear that she was trying to get her legislative agenda moving and to get involved in the legislative process,” added Wiseman. “But it has not been as successful as some other members – even among [other] freshmen – getting people to pay attention to her legislation. “
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In examining the legislative effectiveness of all Democrats in Congress, the AOC ranked 230 out of 240 Democrats. Among New York’s 19 Democratic lawmakers, she came in last.
Among the bills that died at birth were a federal reform of public housing, a ban on hydraulic fracturing and a mandate to provide full federal public benefits to illegal immigrants.
Democratic Chamber members said many of Ocasio-Cortez’s colleagues found his approach alienating.
“Tweeting is easy, governing is difficult. You need to have friends. You need to understand the committee’s process, you need to be willing to make sacrifices, ”said one. “Her first day in Congress … she decided to protest outside Nancy Pelosi’s office.”
A second Democratic source who worked with her at the New York delegation added that “legislation was never her focus. It was the media and the narrative.”
Across the hall, Dep. Nicole Malliotakis, RN.Y., told The Post: “Your ridiculous political ideas would destroy our country – Americans should be grateful that it is not effective.”
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, DN.Y., feels she calls the influx of migrants along the southern border a “wave” that pushes white supremacy. (Photo by Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
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As a current freshman, Malliotakis does not appear on the list.
Ocasio-Cortez representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Post.
Democratic Socialist “squad” members fared better than AOC. Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota sponsored 33 bills that also went nowhere, earning her 214th place, while Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan saw three of her important bills advance to the committee – with one finally becoming law. She was in 92nd place.
Things didn’t get much better in the Senate, where New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand scored 39 out of 45 – without any of the substantive bills she proposed becoming law. Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer was 33 years old – although Wiseman emphasized that politicians in leadership positions often did poorly because their jobs required them to help other members with their initiatives.
It was not all doom and gloom for the Empire State – which benefited from a large bank of left-handed warhorses influencing the chamber.
Westchester MP Nita Lowey, who retired last year after a 32-year career in Congress, was declared the most successful Democrat in the House in her final term, a position she won largely due to her position as chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee. Of the 29 main projects she submitted, seven ended up becoming law. Just behind her as the House’s third most effective Democrat was Carolyn Maloney of Manhattan.
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Among Republicans, John Katko of Syracuse was a major highlight, with six of his substantive bills passed in the House (none became law), despite his party being a minority. He was the highest-rated New York Republican and ranked third overall among his colleagues.
Tom Reed, a Republican from Corning, had the lowest score among state Republican lawmakers who completed a term, but still achieved a respectable 45th out of 205, with 11 substantive sponsored projects and one becoming law.
This story first appeared in the New York Post.