New York congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has defended wearing a gown emblazoned with the words “tax the rich” to the glamorous Met Gala, saying she has drawn attention to the debate on wealth redistribution in the US.
Critics blasted the dress as hypocritical at an event packed with celebrities, designers, and billionaires willing to pay approximately $48,000 AUD to attend.
But the Democrat hit back on Instagram with a lengthy statement.
“The medium is the message,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
“NYC elected officials are regularly invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing our city’s cultural institutions that serve the public. I was one of several in attendance. Dress is borrowed.”
Republicans were quick to criticise Ms Ocasio-Cortez's decision to attend the lavish event with her choice of dress.
On Twitter, Republican Senator Ted Cruz said: “Cost per ticket: $30,000. Virtue signalling to your base while partying - without a mask - with the people you claim to hate: priceless.”
Florida Senator Rick Scott said in a tweet Ms Ocasio-Cortez "wants to tax the rich but took time out of her busy schedule to hob knob with NY and Hollywood elites who paid $30k to attend the #MetGala (and deduct it from their taxes)."
The Democrat noted in her Instagram post that a jump in Google searches for the phrase "tax the rich" was evidence her message had cut through. She also said her body had been "policed from all corners politically" since she was elected into Congress.
“Ultimately the haters hated and the people who are thoughtful were thoughtful," she wrote. “But we all had a conversation about Taxing the Rich in front of the very people who lobby against it. And punctured the 4th wall of excess and spectacle”.
US House Democrats earlier this week laid out a sweeping tax reform plan that includes reversing cuts made by former president Donald Trump and raising rates on wealthy Americans and corporations
The effort is intended to raise nearly $3 trillion USD in new revenue to help defray the cost of current President Joe Biden's enormous spending package, which amounts to a dramatic expansion of the social safety net and other public investments currently totalling some $3.5 trillion USD.
The corporate tax rate was lowered dramatically, from 35 per cent to 21 per cent, during Mr Trump's major tax overhaul in 2017.
Republicans are fiercely opposed to the Democrats' proposals.
"The cost of living is skyrocketing for American families. What are House Democrats doing about it? They are attempting to pass 'the biggest tax increase in decades,'" House Republicans tweeted on Monday, citing an article by Politico.
With AFP.
