AOC Takes on Cuomo over Preferential Treatment of Some, Amid Pandemic

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has targeted New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for what she considers exacerbating racial and class divides amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Suspending Mortgage Payments, But Not Rent

“If you called for a suspension or moratorium on mortgage payments, then we should also call for that same treatment on rent payments,” Ocasio-Cortez said Tuesday.

AOC then went on to say that what’s being made is a “class and race issue,” arguing that landowners and wealthier people are being rewarded and treated better than renters.

Ocasio-Cortez has been calling for a freeze on rent payments, saying that thousands will miss their payments. Cuomo previously issued a 90-day suspension on mortgage payments, and instead of suspending rent payments alongside mortgages, he opted for suspending evictions for 90 days.

“You cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent,” Cuomo said Monday, adding that you’d still owe rent, and "we’ll see how long this goes on.”

Ocasio-Cortez believes the measures taken aren’t enough, and is calling anyone who has the ability to stay home privileged, and once again bringing racial and class inequities onto the table, calling them “baked into the crisis.”

AOC also accused Trump of failing to secure emergency supplies and responding too slowly to the COVID-19 situation, saying that "incompetence" is killing people, and the deaths are not only the result of the Coronavirus.