A federal accountability philanthropic is urging the House of Representatives to evaluate whether Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N. Y. ) misused her taxpayer-funded Member Representational Allowance ( MRA ). Americans for Public Trust, a nonpartisan watchdog organization, sent a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics ( OCE ) on Tuesday, raising concerns over” several troubling expenses” from Ocasio-Cortez’s disbursements, which they claim violate federal law and House standards.
Every member of Congress is allocated an MRA to support standard jobs, with tight limits against its use for private or campaign-related costs, as outlined by the Congressional Research Service. But, Ocasio-Cortez, a notable progressive and member of the” Squad”, faces charges of possible using these resources for campaign functions.
The scrutiny centers around a$ 3, 700 payment to” Juan D Gonzalez” and an$ 850 payment to” Bombazo Dance Co Inc.”, both categorized as” training” expenses. Americans for Public Trust contends these expenses may not fit with the expected use of the MRA and permit a proper examination.
Ocasio-Cortez responded to the claims on social media, refuting says that she misused taxpayer money. In a post on X ( formerly Twitter ), she stated:
” 100 % wrong. None of this is taxpayer funds, this is an FEC processing. Be quiet and bad about something else. Consider again next day”.
Despite her neglect, Americans for Public Trust has pointed out contradictions in her speech, arguing that the charges in issue were really drawn from her MRA. ” Either she does not know the difference between her campaign money and MRA, or, more likely, she knows the noted charges were not for official company and should have been paid by her plan and reported to the FEC”, the filing says.
Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, emphasized the need for an inspection in a speech to Fox News Digital:
” Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s disturbing bills from her taxpayer-funded consideration for activities such as dance lessons may become investigated. In the age of reining in federal spending, the American people deserve to know politicians are being good managers of their income money”.
Fox News notes this is not the first day Ocasio-Cortez has faced morality problems. In 2023, the Heritage Foundation accused her of “falsely accusing” and “defaming” the father of the Libs of TikTok Twitter accounts, Chaya Raichik. Moreover, she was the subject of an morality sensor in 2023 over claims of accepting “impermissible products” related to her presence at the 2021 Met Gala, which could have violated House principles and federal laws.
