Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared a video through her TikTok account featuring middle schoolers from the Bronx who arrived for a field trip to Capitol Hill on October 1st.
Following tense talks between Democrats and Republicans focused on funding for enhanced Obamacare subsidies, the federal government shut down at midnight on October 1st after failing to reach a consensus. Federal employees, active duty service members, and various programs are affected, though essential services currently remain.
While emotions are high due to the impact this will have, there are smaller events that are also affected. In this case, it’s a field trip.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the U.S. representative for New York’s 14th congressional district, took to her social media accounts to share a video spotlighting one of the smaller but immediate effects that the shutdown had right on Capitol Hill. According to AOC’s BlueSky account (@aoc.bsky.social), uploaded Wednesday morning following the shutdown, “A bus of Bronx middle schoolers pulled up to the Capitol this morning for a long-planned field trip just a few hours after the government shut down.
All Capitol tours were cancelled as the guides can’t work in shutdown.
So I escorted them in myself and gave them a personal tour. They were great!”
The video shows a smiling AOC leading a pack of students through the classic Capitol tour that countless schools and tourists have gone through before. This group of students will definitely have a unique story about their trip, however, as they experience political history in action.
During times of political strife, it’s valuable to be able to find educational value to pass on to future generations. In this case, the students are also getting a front-row look at the complexity of the government and how unpredictable living history can be.
For her part, AOC has been outspoken over her opposition to the current GOP and Trump administration. While the video is a fun tension-breaker during an especially volatile time in U.S. political history, it’s also a unique peek into the immediate consequences and confusion that follow a government shutdown.
Born October 13th, 1989, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took office at the age of 29, and is one of the youngest and most influential American politicians. Her use of social media has given her a unique appeal to young future constituents as well as students who may be interested in entering politics themselves. Seeing firsthand that a famous politician can take it upon themselves to lead turning tumultuous times is a great example for kids to observe, no matter what side of the aisle their parents may vote on.
Before the shutdown officially happened, AOC appeared on MSNBC to talk over the looming issues with Chris Hayes. “We are here to try and be a backstop. And that’s what the American people have elected us to do.”
While government shutdowns have rarely exceeded a week, the last one, which also took place during the Trump administration, lasted from December 2018 to January 2019 for 35 days in total.
