Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams the lack of diversity in an all-white group of lawmakers who drafted a bipartisan infrastructure deal

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slams the lack of diversity in an all-white group of lawmakers who drafted a bipartisan infrastructure deal

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Thursday criticized an all-white group of senators who reached a bipartisan deal on infrastructure legislation, pointing out the group's lack of diversity and arguing it excluded marginalized communities. "The diversity of this 'bipartisan coalition' pretty perfectly conveys which communities get centered and which get left behind when leaders prioritize bipartisan dealmaking over inclusive lawmaking (which prioritizes delivering the most impact possible for the most people)," the New York Democrat alongside a photo of the group of lawmakers with President Joe Biden outside the White House on Thursday. The senators who led the infrastructure negotiations with Biden include five Republicans and five Democrats. The GOP senators are Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Rob Portman of Ohio, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. The Democrats are Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Jon Tester of Montana, Mark Warner of Virginia, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. "This is why a bipartisan [package] alone isn't acceptable," Ocasio-Cortez went on to say. "The exclusion & denial of our communities is what DC bipartisan deals require. That's how you get GOP on board: don't do much/any for the working class