Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says the jobless in America are ‘left to die’ but US must 'embrace automation'

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says that the jobless in America are “left to die”.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez’s comments came during an appearance at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, over the weekend.

In her remarks, she said that “we should not be haunted by” the idea that automation will replace some jobs in the US, and suggested that prospect should excite people.

“We should be excited by that. But the reason we’re not excited by it is because we live in a society where if you don’t have a job you are left to die,” she said. “And that is, at its core. Our problem.

The freshman Democrat has proposed a massive overhaul known as the Green New deal that would include a federal jobs guarantee, alongside reforms to the US energy sector.

She said that the automation she hopes the US can embrace will allow Americans to focus on sciences, art, and invention so that Americans can being “enjoying the world that we live in”.

“Not all creativity needs to be bonded to wage,” she said.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez has described herself as a Democratic Socialist, and has made combatting climate change a central part of her message since taking office in January.