Ocasio-Cortez targets Manchin over Haaland confirmation

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) took aim at Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) over a report he is undecided on the confirmation of Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.), President Biden’s nominee for Interior secretary.

“Jeff Sessions was so openly racist that even Reagan couldn’t appoint him,” the New York congresswoman tweeted on Monday, in reference to former President Trump’s first attorney general. “Manchin voted to confirm him. Sessions then targeted immigrant children for wide-scale human rights abuses w/ family separation. Yet the 1st Native woman to be Cabinet Sec is where Manchin finds unease?”

Jeff Sessions was so openly racist that even Reagan couldn’t appoint him.

Manchin voted to confirm him. Sessions then targeted immigrant children for wide-scale human rights abuses w/ family separation.

Yet the 1st Native woman to be Cabinet Sec is where Manchin finds unease? https://t.co/wyki5iE36Y

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 22, 2021

Ocasio-Cortez tweeted in response to a report that the West Virginia Democrat has “remaining questions” about Haaland, whose confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is set for Tuesday.    

“.@DebHaalandNM is a profound public servant and champion for working families,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a subsequent post. “Her appointment as Sec of the Interior would be historic, and her leadership holds the promise of progress for our country. Call your Senator to support her confirmation.”

.@DebHaalandNM is a profound public servant and champion for working families.

Her appointment as Sec of the Interior would be historic, and her leadership holds the promise of progress for our country.

Call your Senator to support her confirmation. pic.twitter.com/Kq9mlYmHMe

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 22, 2021

Manchin is a pivotal vote in the evenly divided Senate, with Democrats forced to find at least one alternate Republican vote in scenarios in which he votes “no.”

Last week, he announced he would oppose the nomination of Center for American Progress President Neera Tanden as director of the Office of Management and Budget. Tanden’s confirmation is in jeopardy after several moderate Republicans also announced their opposition.

In November, Ocasio-Cortez responded to a tweet by Manchin with an image of her appearing to glower at him at the State of the Union. Manchin had earlier linked to an article about his opposition to ending the Senate filibuster while knocking calls from lawmakers, such as Ocasio-Cortez, to defund police.

She also hit back at Manchin in December after he criticized her tenure in the House in another spat between the progressive and centrist lawmakers.