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Fact check: On what issues has AOC voted against Democratic party line?
1. Summary of the results
Based on the analyses provided, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) has voted against the Democratic party line on several key issues:
Defense and National Security:
- Voted 'Nay' on the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 [1]
- Voted 'Nay' on the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 [1]
- Voted 'Nay' on the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2025 [2]
Foreign Policy and International Relations:
- Voted 'Nay' on the Israel Security Assistance Support Act [3]
- Voted 'Nay' on Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2025 [2]
Border Security and Law Enforcement:
Technology and Infrastructure:
- Voted 'Nay' on the Deploying American Blockchains Act [1]
- Voted against the bipartisan infrastructure bill due to trust issues with the legislative process, specifically the decoupling of the bill from the reconciliation package [4]
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
The analyses reveal several important contextual elements missing from the original question:
Legislative Strategy Context:
AOC's vote against the bipartisan infrastructure bill was not based on opposition to infrastructure spending itself, but rather on strategic concerns about the legislative process and the separation of the bill from broader reconciliation efforts [4]. This demonstrates that some "party line" deviations may reflect tactical disagreements rather than ideological opposition.
Progressive vs. Establishment Democratic Tensions:
The voting patterns suggest AOC's departures from party line often align with progressive positions that go further left than mainstream Democratic positions, particularly on defense spending, law enforcement, and foreign policy issues. This represents an intra-party ideological divide rather than bipartisan opposition.
Constructive Legislative Efforts:
Despite voting against certain Democratic initiatives, AOC has also worked on bipartisan legislation, such as the Bipartisan Restoring Faith in Government Act aimed at prohibiting congressional stock trading [5], indicating her willingness to work across party lines on specific issues.
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The original question itself does not contain explicit misinformation, but it lacks important nuance about the nature of AOC's voting patterns:
Oversimplification of Party Unity:
The question implies a binary view of party loyalty without acknowledging that Democratic "party line" votes can encompass a spectrum of positions, and that progressive members like AOC may vote against certain measures because they don't go far enough rather than because they oppose the underlying principles.
Missing Ideological Context:
The framing doesn't distinguish between votes that represent progressive dissent from centrist Democratic positions versus votes that might align with Republican positions, which are fundamentally different types of party line departures.
Incomplete Picture:
The analyses show that while AOC has voted against party line on specific issues, she has also engaged in bipartisan legislative efforts [5], suggesting a more complex relationship with party politics than the original question implies.