alexandria ocasio-cortez
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
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  • On Thursday, the House passed a bill providing an extra $1 billion for Israel's "Iron Dome."
  • AOC voted "present" as 8 other Democrats voted against the bill, and was later seen crying after the vote.
  • She blamed House leadership for creating "a tinderbox of vitriol" after Hoyer ignored her request to delay the vote.
  • See more stories on Insider's business page.

In an email to constituents Friday afternoon, Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called out House leadership for rushing a vote to provide $1 billion in additional funding for the Iron Dome defense system and explained why she was crying following the vote.

Calling the process for bringing the floor to a vote "deeply unjust," Ocasio-Cortez said that she'd asked House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to delay the vote for 24 hours to "bring down the temperature" but was ultimately rebuked.

"The reckless decision by House leadership to rush this controversial vote within a matter of hours and without true consideration created a tinderbox of vitriol, disingenuous framing, deeply racist accusations and depictions, and lack of substantive discussion on this matter," Ocasio-Cortez said. "I want to be clear that the decision to rush this vote… was both intentional and unnecessary."

In an emotionally charged debate on Thursday, the House overwhelmingly approved the new funding for Israel's Iron Dome after House Democrats stripped the funding out of a government-funding bill due to progressives' objections.

At one point during the debate, Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, who is Palestinian, cited Human Rights Watch and Israeli human rights group B'Tselem in labelling the Jewish nation an "apartheid state."

Iron Dome is an Israeli-developed air defense system that targets rockets in-flight with missiles. It has played a critical role in defending population centers in Israel from projectiles fired from Gaza, although militants during the conflict in May discovered a weakness in the system's ability to shootdown large numbers of rockets fired simultaneously.

That prompted an angry reaction from Democratic Rep. Ted Deutsch of Florida, who suggested that Tlaib was antisemitic.

The bill ultimately passed 420-9, with 8 Democrats - including the rest of the "Squad" - and 1 Republican voting no. Democrat Hank Johnson joined Ocasio Cortez in voting "present." After the vote, Ocasio Cortez cried on the House floor as some of her Democratic colleagues sought to comfort her.

"Yes, I wept," wrote the congresswoman. "I wept at the complete lack of care for the human beings that are impacted by these decisions, I wept at an institution choosing a path of maximum volatility and minimum consideration for its own political convenience."

She argued that more time was needed to engage with constituents over the politically charged vote, saying that she felt a "real sense of panic and horror among those in our community who otherwise engage thoughtfully in these discussions."

The congresswoman also highlighted the enormity of the sum and Israel's "persistent human rights abuses against the Palestinian people," asking why such a country should by given "unconditional aid" comparing it to US aid to Saudi Arabia and Colombia.

Ultimately, she did not precisely explain why she voted "present," though she said she was opposed to the legislation. "To those who believe this reasoning is insufficient or cowardice - I understand," she said.

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