"I voted how Alex did" says Gaetz
On May 17, politicians in the House of Representatives gathered to express their opinions on the Debt Limit Plan that has been prepared and proposed by California Republican Kevin McCarthy. Measures are intended to prevent the United States from defaulting on its debt, and are likely to require a compromise between Republicans and Democrats.
There were further signs that such collaboration was already happening however, as Florida's most outspoken Republican - Congressman Matt Gaetz - shared on Twitter that he had taken the same course of action as his political opponent but recent ideological-ally in the Democratic party, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
As Gaetz shared in his post on Twitter, his reasons for not supporting Speaker McCarthy's debt limit plan may have differed from those cited by AOC, their mutual blocking of the GOP's plan to tackle the debt limit signifies another way in which that the two politicians from opposite sides of the aisle have unified.
Furthermore, it was only a day ago, on May 16, that Gaetz also expressed his agreement with Democratic Senator John Fetterman who had called for more scrutiny of the actions of CEOs of banks who run their businesses into the ground and then take government money to bail them out.
Gaetz and AOC unify to tackle insider trading
The news of the Florida Republican Gaetz having once again joined New York Democrat AOC in taking the same stance on a core political issue follows shortly after it emerged that the pair were cosponsoring a bill to outlaw insider trading by politicians.
Their assertion is that the act is necessary to "prohibit financial investments by members of Congress, their spouses, and any dependents" and is intended as a means of preventing sitting members of government from using insider knowledge on matters of policy and commerce to make money by trading stocks or investing by using that knowledge for their own personal gain.
This is also not the first time that Gaetz and AOC have been found to have a unified perspective on issues. Gaetz - who serves on oversight committees related to matters of defense - was recently quoted as saying "I don't care who gets the credit" in regard to a bill that AOC was supporting to encourage the availability of experimental drugs to treat military veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Gaetz and his feud with Kevin McCarthy
As far as why Florida's Matt Gaetz chose not to support the debt limit plan proposed by Kevin McCarthy, that could be as much to do with his recent feud with the Speaker of the House who was appointed to the position after a chaotic series of votes in January of this year.
During that episode, television cameras installed in the House Chamber by C-SPAN captured scenes where an angry exchange of words occurred between McCarthy and his supporters, and Gaetz who was clearly under pressure to support the California Republican
As such, the Florida congressman's decision not to support the debt limit plan may have something to do with that as well. Time will tell how the impending default by the U.S. on its debts, is prevented. What seems clear is that we're entering an age of co-operation between some of the most unlikely Republicans and Democrats.
Are you surprised that Matt Gaetz is so co-operative with Democrat AOC? Are you concerned about America's impending debt issue? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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