Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., got into a public spat about scientific knowledge after the freshman lawmaker blasted President Trump's decision to put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the coronavirus response.
It started on Wednesday, when the New York congresswoman claimed that Pence "literally does not believe in science."
"It is utterly irresponsible to put him in charge of US coronavirus response as the world sits on the cusp of a pandemic. This decision could cost people their lives. Pence’s past decisions already have," she said. She was referring to the way Pence handled an HIV outbreak in his home state of Indiana.
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Cruz defended Pence by mocking Ocasio-Cortez. "As you are speaking as the oracle of science, what exactly is a Y chromosome?" he asked. He followed with a question about when unborn children can feel pain, as well as which country saw the greatest total reduction in carbon emissions last year -- both of which touched on arguments surrounding abortion and climate change.
Ocasio-Cortez responded by touting her own scholarly credentials and accusing Cruz of judging people's intelligence by their income.
"Sen. Cruz, while I understand you judge people’s intelligence by the lowest income they’ve had, I hold awards from MIT Lincoln Lab &others for accomplishments in microbiology," she tweeted.
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"Secondly, I’m surprised you’re asking about chromosomes given that you don’t even believe in evolution."
She added, in response, an article about her winning a prize in the "largest pre-college scientific research event in the world." Quartz reported in December of 2018 that Ocasio-Cortez entered the contest with a project on the effects of antioxidants on longworm longevity.
The outlet reported: "She entered in her senior year of high school with a project on Caenorhabditis elegan (C. elegan) lifespan extension, with her findings indicating that 'antioxidants could potentially help prevent degenerative illnesses induced by oxidative stress.'"
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The freshman congresswoman indicated on Twitter that Cruz underestimated her and saw her as just a "bartender." She touted her work as an intern for former Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., as well as becoming a finalist in the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, where she presented her work on antioxidants.
"Sincerely, an Intel global finalist, a fmr multi-year intern for Sen. Kennedy, a cum laude dual major in Economics & International Relations, a fmr Educational Director for national organization, Who to you is 'just a bartender,' And also your colleague," she said.
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Cruz didn't appear to respond via Twitter, but it's well known that he has his own impressive background in academia. The Texas senator got his undergraduate degree from Princeton University and graduated from Harvard Law School.
From there, he took on a number of high-profile positions within the government. That included serving as Texas' solicitor general and Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Justice Department.
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This wasn't the first time Ocasio-Cortez and Cruz interacted on Twitter. They previously left things on a more positive note, agreeing on the idea that birth control should be available over-the-counter.
Cruz and Ocasio-Cortez, as he noted, already agreed to join forces on a bill that would ban lawmakers from becoming lobbyists after their time in Congress — a rare moment of bipartisanship between politicians who seemed to represent complete opposite sides of the ideological spectrum.
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