Constituents of U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens, Bronx) with immigration, social security or any other issues involving the federal government who are looking to get out of the cold and speak to an actual person in the House member’s local office will have to wait another month and then some.
That after her Texas-based spokesperson, Corbin Trent, said Ocasio-Cortez will likely have a district office open in March.
Nearly a handful of other representatives from New York have opened up offices since being sworn-in on Jan. 3.
Other newly elected House members including U.S. Reps. Max Rose (D) has an office in Staten Island, Antonio Delgado (D) has his office in Kingston, Joseph Morelle (D) has his situated in Rochester and Anthony Brindisi (D) has an office in Binghamton and another in Utica.
Ocasio-Cortez responded to the criticism on Jan. 22 on her Twitter feed.
“Although we attempted to take over our predecessor’s lease, the landlord wanted to almost double the rent,” captioned Ocasio-Cortez in her tweet.
In the tweet, Ocasio captioned that the rent went from $7,800 to $15,000, which would have “meant less caseworkers for our community.”
She will instead make a new space with a family business, according to Ocasio-Cortez.
Despite the lack of an office, her camp is staying abreast of constituent issues through her website, according to Trent.
“We are responding to issues on housing, corporate issues, healthcare issues, immigration and jobs,” said Trent.
Housing, jobs and healthcare are the top constituent problems that her office has received, according to Trent.
At a Committee on Oversight and Reform meeting on Jan. 29, Ocasio-Cortez was listening to testimony on the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs.
In December, her Twitter followers called her “transparent” when she explained that Congress members receive $1.2 million in their entire operating budget to cover salaries, technology devices, services, contracts, rent for both their offices in D.C. and their district and more.
Taking over her predecessor’s office could have cost her $180,000 annually.
This probably could have hampered her campaign promise to pay interns a minimum wage of $15 an hour.
Ocasio-Cortez, also blamed the government shutdown while on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” but according to the NYT’s report, the General Services Administration, which provides set-up for office services would have helped even during the shutdown, however, service can’t be provided until she has an office for them to bring supplies.
