Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been mocked after she attempted a victory lap for stopping Amazon from building its new headquarters in New York.
The Democrat agreed after announcing that the retail giant is halting construction of its HQ2 facility at its new location in Arlington, Virginia.
Despite the move coming as the company faces its biggest ever job loss, AOC patted itself on the back for having previously prevented the project in its home state.
“When I opposed this Amazon project coming to New York because it was a scam of public funds, the whole power institution came after us,” she said on Twitter.
“Billboards hung in Times Sq denouncing me. Powerful pulse promised revenge. Op-Eds & CEOs insulted my intelligence. In the end we were right.’
However, her party was cut short when people criticized her for her job-killing incentive, with one of the lawmakers demanding “dismissal in disgrace.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, pictured, was mocked for telling her followers it was “worth it” to block Amazon’s attempt to move its headquarters to New York, where she is a member of Congress
The Democrat agreed when Amazon paused construction on its HQ2 complex in Virginia, pictured
The expansion of Amazon’s headquarters will involve the erection of several massive buildings. The Helix (above) is one of the planned buildings, which is now on hold
The congresswoman made the remarks as she recalled her opposition to Amazon’s headquarters expansion in 2018, when New York was in a prime position to land the new complex.
Facing backlash over her first tweet, AOC doubled down on her stance, telling her 13 million followers it was “worth it” to block the construction.
“I know I’ll never get an apology for that time, but it was worth it,” she said.
“We shielded NYers from a scam deal to drain government dollars from schools and infrastructure in exchange for empty promises of “Amazon jobs” with no guarantees or guardrails. Unfortunately, cities that have taken it are suffering.”
Her twitter diatribe drew fierce criticism from those who believe New York would have benefited from the economy-boosting development, which would create an estimated 25,000 jobs for the Big Apple.
“You don’t deserve an apology, you should resign in shame,” said one critic.
Another joked, “Luckily they have you, to save them from all those jobs!”
“Wait, you prevented jobs from coming to New York. Then when the government causes a recession through uncontrolled printing and spending and companies lay off, do you take an “I told you so” victory lap?’ said a third.
“This kind of hatred is exactly what’s wrong with Washington.”
Another commenter also noted that Amazon’s delay in cost cutting is just a “temporary pause” in the second phase of the long-running headquarters expansion project.
The celebration of AOC came amid Amazon’s announcement that it is closing the second phase of construction.
The first phase of the complex, two office towers known as Metropolitan Park, is due for completion in June and will house some 14,000 employees.
The delay affects a larger development planned across the street called PenPlace, consisting of three 22-story office towers and a 100-foot architectural showpiece known as the Helix.
Amazon’s primary headquarters is in Seattle. It announced plans in 2019 for its HQ2 campus, near Washington DC, after abandoning plans to move to the Big Apple.
Speaking of the delay, John Schoettler, Amazon’s head of real estate, said they made the decision to ultimately provide a “great experience for employees.”
“As Met Park will have space for over 14,000 employees, we have decided to extend the groundbreaking PenPlace (the second phase of HQ2).”
He said the company has already hired more than 8,000 employees and will welcome them to the nearly completed Met Park campus when it opens in June.
Amazon has pledged to spend $2.5 billion by 2030 and hire some 25,000 workers at its Arlington location.
The construction delay would not mean job losses, Amazon said Bloombergwho first reported the pause in construction.
Amazon’s headquarters, pictured, are in Seattle, but it has announced plans to build a second base on the East Coast
Amazon says Forest Plaza will provide a dense landscape with accessible paths, sitting areas and long views to the south. Its construction is currently on hold
The HQ2 campus, seen in renderings, will also feature a separate park, as well as a public high school and retail space – if it is ever completed
Amazon has pledged to spend $2.5 billion by 2030 and hire some 25,000 workers at its Arlington location. Pictured: CEO Andy Jassy
At the time of her opposition, AOC gave her stance on Twitter, where she said, “Now what I do NOT want is our public funds funding free helipads for Amazon + robber lord billionaires while NYCHA and public schools disappear. underfunded & mama+pops are nowhere near that kind of break.”
Along with several of her Democratic colleagues, Ocasio-Cortez pressured the company to shut down its New York project, in part by targeting the $2.5 billion economic incentives it would have received.
The New York headquarters complex was officially demolished in early 2019, with AOC’s intervention estimated to have cost her city about 25,000 jobs.