Ocasio-Cortez calls Supreme Court EPA decision ‘catastrophic’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Thursday called the Supreme Court setting limits on how the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) can deal with power plants “catastrophic.”

Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter soon after the ruling and blasted the Senate filibuster, which requires bills to secure 60 votes for passage in the Senate, writing that a “filibuster carveout is not enough.”

“We need to reform or do away with the whole thing, for the sake of the planet,” she added.

The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, determined that Congress did not authorize the EPA to induce a shift toward cleaner energy sources.

Ocasio-Cortez was also reacting to President Biden’s comments on Thursday, in which he said the Senate should chisel out an exception to the 60-vote filibuster to codify abortion rights after the Supreme Court overturned the precedent set by Roe v. Wade. 

Just hours earlier, Ocasio-Cortez had cheered Biden’s comments on the filibuster and said, “Now we’re talking! Time for people to see a real, forceful push for it. Use the bully pulpit. We need more.”

The New York progressive has long advocated for the Senate to abolish the filibuster, a move that has been opposed by moderate lawmakers, including Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.).

She told Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” on Tuesday that both Congress and Biden need to entertain the expansion of the Supreme Court. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also tweeted that he thinks the Senate needs to end the filibuster in order to codify Roe v. Wade into law.

Senate Republicans were joined by Manchin last month in blocking legislation intended to enshrine abortion protections into law ahead of the Supreme Court’s expected ruling on Roe.