The White House has fired back at Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) after the congresswoman accused President Donald Trump and Republican leaders of endangering children’s lives by refusing to meet Democratic demands in the ongoing health-care funding standoff.
White House spokesman Kush Desai called the progressive lawmaker’s rhetoric “baseless hysteria” and accused her of exploiting the federal shutdown to raise campaign donations from her liberal base. “If AOC really cared about America’s kids, she would stop drumming up baseless hysteria and tell her fellow Democrats to re-open the federal government and restore confidence for the millions of children who rely on WIC and other federal programs,” Desai told The Post on Saturday.
The comment came in response to a fundraising email blast sent by Ocasio-Cortez to supporters late Thursday night. In the message, she sought small-dollar “grassroots” contributions of $5 or more and claimed that former President Trump “decided one day he wants to make sure kids are dying because they don’t have access to insurance.” The inflammatory statement instantly ricocheted across political circles, prompting a wave of criticism from Republicans who accused the New York congresswoman of politicizing the suffering of federal workers and low-income families during the shutdown.
The partial government shutdown began Wednesday at midnight, after Democrats in the Senate blocked a short-term spending bill that would have kept agencies funded through the end of the month. The deadlock has left critical programs — including nutritional support for women and children, and various Medicaid disbursements — temporarily uncertain. Roughly one-quarter of federal spending, or about $1.7 trillion, is currently frozen until Congress approves a new budget measure.
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Ocasio-Cortez, who represents parts of The Bronx and Queens, defended her remarks during a press event on Friday, saying her focus was “about people being able to insure their children.” She rejected claims that her fundraising appeal was opportunistic, insisting that Republican leadership was ignoring the human consequences of the stalemate. “Because what I’m not going to do is tolerate four million uninsured Americans because Donald Trump decided one day he wants to make sure kids are dying because they don’t have access to insurance,” she told reporters.
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At the center of the dispute is a Democratic proposal to extend pandemic-era health-care tax credits for one year, a policy that has helped millions of families afford private insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Democrats also want the budget to roll back planned Medicaid reductions included in Trump’s recently passed fiscal package — a law the former president once described as his “big beautiful bill.”
Those cuts are not scheduled to take effect immediately but have already prompted some states to scale back Medicaid reimbursements for hospitals and primary-care providers. The Biden administration has argued that the funding freeze endangers lower-income Americans who depend on state-federal programs for medical coverage. Republicans counter that Democrats are holding the government hostage to win a last-minute expansion of spending they failed to pass earlier in the year.
White House officials say the administration’s position is consistent with fiscal restraint and fairness to taxpayers. “Democrats are tying unrelated programs to keep their campaign donors happy,” said one senior Republican aide familiar with the negotiations. “This is not about kids, it’s about control.”
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Democratic leaders, meanwhile, have portrayed the shutdown as an act of political cruelty, claiming that the administration’s refusal to compromise on health-care provisions punishes vulnerable families for partisan gain. Several members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus echoed Ocasio-Cortez’s view that the White House is weaponizing the federal purse to force Democrats into submission.
While the rhetoric has been fierce, the reality on the ground is already affecting public services. WIC offices across several states have reported delays in processing benefits, and National Park facilities have begun closing their gates due to the lapse in appropriations. In Washington, the optics of shuttered museums, idle research centers, and unpaid federal employees have intensified political pressure on both parties to strike a deal.
Personalities, Politics, and a Growing Standoff
For Ocasio-Cortez, the episode underscores her continued role as both a provocative voice and fundraising powerhouse within the Democratic Party. Since her election in 2018, she has used her platform to draw sharp moral contrasts with Republican leadership and to galvanize small donors online. Party strategists say her fiery statements — while controversial — often succeed in rallying younger voters and keeping progressive issues in the national spotlight.
Republicans, however, see her rhetoric as a deliberate attempt to inflame partisan divides. Desai’s rebuke reflected a broader White House strategy of portraying Democrats as obstructionists responsible for prolonging the shutdown. By linking the impasse to health-care and children’s welfare, GOP advisers hope to shift blame toward the left while emphasizing Trump’s demand for fiscal discipline.
The political theater has played out against a backdrop of growing economic anxiety. Analysts estimate that every week of the shutdown costs the U.S. economy billions in lost productivity and delayed payments. Federal contractors, small business owners, and parents reliant on child-nutrition programs are among those feeling the immediate strain.
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As the standoff enters another week, both sides remain entrenched. Ocasio-Cortez insists Democrats will not agree to reopen the government without guarantees on health-care protections, while the White House continues to denounce what it calls “shutdown politics.”
In New York, the congresswoman returned to her district Friday afternoon, meeting with local families at a Bronx health clinic to highlight the effects of program suspensions. “These are real lives, not numbers on a spreadsheet,” she said, reiterating her criticism of Trump’s policies.
The White House, meanwhile, has doubled down on its messaging, accusing Ocasio-Cortez of grandstanding for political gain. “This kind of emotional fearmongering doesn’t solve anything,” Desai told reporters. “It’s time for Congress to act like adults and get the government open again.”
