Pelosi elevates AOC to new House committee on tackling economic disparities

Progressive firebrand Ocasio-Cortez will address generational disparities and increasing worker power

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tapped progressive firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for a new House committee she formed to address wealth inequality in America. 

Pelosi, D-Calif., on Thursday praised the New York Democrat's commitment to "addressing generational disparities" and "increasing worker power" in naming her to the new Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth.

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Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., will chair the panel designed to tackle the gap between America's top CEOs and worker pay, with Pelosi calling the widening chasm a "historic picture of injustice." 

The committee is charged with studying and recommending proposals for making the economy fairer and ensuring more Americans have opportunities.

Ocasio-Cortez, the author of the Green New Deal and the federal jobs guarantee, praised the job of the committee Wednesday, saying "this is an extremely important moment."

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She highlighted her work on the Financial Services Committee and said she hopes the new committee will examine traditional assumptions about the economy.

"One of the things that would be interesting for us to examine is that we should probably revisit some of the basic macroeconomic assumptions about the U.S. economy and not take for granted that inflation is due to one thing or another, or that full employment is impossible in the United States of America," Ocasio-Cortez said at a news event for the new committee, adding that she wants to ensure that "every American has a dignified job."

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Aside from Ocasio-Cortez and Himes, the other Democrats Pelosi appointed to the committee are Reps. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio, Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Sara Jacobs of California.

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