Florida House Democrats split on limiting military recruitment ads

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s House Amendment to limit the U.S. military’s recruitment ads to “young impressionable teens” has been summarily defeated by a  292-126 vote margin, even after the lawmaker gave an impassioned pitch to help sway votes in support of her legislation.

“War is not a game,” she wrote. “Twitch is a popular platform for children FAR under the age of military recruitment rules. We should not conflate military service with ‘shoot-em-up’ style games and contests.”

Florida’s House Democratic Caucus was split on whether to support the bill with Reps. Ted Deutch, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Kathy Castor, Alcee Hastings, and Frederica Wilson, all having supported Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's’ amendment.

But like we mentioned, not all House Democrats supported the measure. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Al Lawson, Jr., and Stephanie Murphy voted against the amendment.

All three Democratic legislators are expected to face tough re-election challenges in the coming months.

But just as the vote failed, Ocasio-Cortez saw a silver lining in her amendment's defeat, even though a significant number of Democrats voted against it.

“The good news: a majority of the Dem party supported this amendment,” she tweeted. “That’s really a solid start for this being the first time this issue has been brought before Congress.”