AOC offers to help Gen Z congressman who couldn’t find housing in DC
Ryan King
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) offered a helping hand Friday to incoming colleague Maxwell Frost (D-FL), who has struggled to lock down housing in Washington, D.C.
Recalling that she’s “been there,” Ocasio-Cortez used Frost’s housing woes to jab at congressional structures that are “built for people who can lean on wealth.” Frost, 25, revealed Thursday he got rejected from an apartment because his “credit was really bad.”
REP.-ELECT MAXWELL FROST SAYS HE WAS DENIED APARTMENT IN PRICEY DC
“Been there. This is one of many ways Congress structures itself to exclude and push out the few working-class people who *do* get elected. These systems are built for people who can lean on wealth. It’s shocking how detached from reality a lot of the details are — but I got you,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1601345316967501824
Frequently credentialed as the first member of Generation Z elected to Congress, Frost detailed how he had previously been told he would be approved.
Although congressional salaries typically hover in the neighborhood of $174,000, Frost is not receiving that paycheck yet. Ocasio-Cortez cited the fact that members of Congress have to “work for a full month in a new city before getting paid” as an example of how political structures work against working-class politicians.
She has been outspoken about the lofty costs of being a congresswoman in the past and championed increases to congressional pay. A bartender-turned-progressive star, the “Squad” member urged Frost not to get down about his credit score.
“And don’t let people make you feel bad about your credit. It doesn’t speak to your character or worth. A lot of folks don’t know the US credit system is not objective or reliable. It is designed to be deeply slanted against working people. But you can do this! I’ll help,” she added.
Frost explained that his credit score soured as he took on debt for his congressional campaign and that his earnings from being an Uber driver were insufficient to offset his expenses.
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Soaring costs of living in Washington have prompted some members of Congress to hunt for alternative living accommodations, such as camping out in their offices via inflatable mattresses or rooming with each other, per CNN. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) lives on a boat. Others, such as former Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), have similarly complained about the cost of living for members of Congress.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) and many local officials have sought to rein in the costs of living in the nation’s capital, including with incentives to ease the costs of buying a home.