The political battle to reopen the federal government intensified dramatically Friday, as Louisiana Republican Senator John Kennedy launched a scathing, personal attack on Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), accusing her and the “Socialist Wing” of the Democratic party of forcing the shutdown to restore a list of “wasteful” foreign projects.
Senator Kennedy took to the Senate floor to detail projects—including “pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti”—that Republicans had stripped from the budget. He stated that the “Loon Wing” of Democrats is now demanding their return before agreeing to a short-term funding bill.
Shutdown Over ‘Crazy’ Demands
Kennedy claimed the current shutdown boils down to Democrats, galvanized by Ocasio-Cortez’s objection, demanding $1.5 trillion in spending and the reinstatement of these specific, controversial items.
“Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez got very, very upset, as did the socialist wing of her party, when the President sent over what was called a rescission package,” Kennedy said, referring to a request by President Trump to cut what he deemed wasteful spending. “And that upset the congresswoman… and so we took it out. And here’s what they want us to put back in.”
Kennedy then read a list of projects he claims are now the non-negotiable demands of the Democratic left:
- $3.6 million for pastry cooking classes and dance focus groups for male prostitutes in Haiti. (“I kid you not. I’m not making this up,” Kennedy said.)
- $3 million for circumcisions and vasectomies in Zambia.
- $500,000 for electric buses in Rwanda.
- $6 million for media organizations for the Palestinians.
- $833,000 for transgender people in Nepal.
- $300,000 for a pride parade in Lesotho.
Personal Attack: ‘Single-Handedly Put an End to Dumb Blonde Jokes’
Kennedy escalated his rhetoric by attacking Ocasio-Cortez’s intellect and policy demands directly. He framed the congresswoman’s position on these spending items as so “crazy” that it defied belief.
“Based on her policy positions, the American people are looking at her and saying, this person has single-handedly put an end to dumb blonde jokes,” Kennedy declared. “Because that is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
He continued, saying that based on her demands for “$1.5 trillion of this kind of spending,” the American people were looking at her and saying, “with respect… you must speak English and stupid.”
The Republican Ask: A ‘Clean CR’
The Louisiana Senator insisted that the Republican position remains simple and reasonable: they are not asking for any new appropriations or conditions, but merely a “clean CR”—a continuing resolution—to extend funding for six weeks to negotiate a full budget.
“All we’re asking for is… let’s continue the negotiate… for six more weeks and try to agree on a budget,” Kennedy pleaded with his Democratic colleagues. He urged them not to be “scared of the congresswoman” or the “Socialist wing of your party,” whose demands he believes are responsible for prolonging the shutdown.
The bipartisan stopgap funding bill failed Friday on a 54–44 tally, officially ensuring the government shutdown will bleed into the next week.
READ: Louisiana Sen. Kennedy Shreds Dems’ Shutdown Demands: ‘Cooking And Dance Workshops’ In Haiti
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