Who?
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — Founding member, “The Squad”
LISTEN: Laslo & AOC
Ask a Pol asks:
What do you make of psilocybin (ie, magic mushrooms) and other psychedelic measures focused on veterans with PTSD passing in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act or NDAA?
Key Ocasio-Cortez:
“I’ve been introducing and supportive of psilocybin measures — and everything from allowing the study to de-scheduling — in the NDAA for my entire time in Congress,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tells Ask a Pol Politics.
“You and Matt Gaetz!” Ask a Pol founder Matt Laslo replies.
”Yeah,” AOC says. “No, it’s true.”
Caught our ear:
“There are so many people that have tried every single path available to them in order to get the health care that they need, and they have not been able to access that,” Ocasio-Cortez tells Ask a Pol Politics.
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol’s exclusive interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (7-23-2026), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (7-23-2026)
SCENE: After casting her last (scheduled) vote until Congress returns from its annual August recess in September, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez takes her time answering a slew of questions on an array of issues from members of the congressional press corps, including Ask a Pol Politics founder Matt Laslo who’s covered AOC for Rolling Stone, VICE News, Playboy, etc.
Matt Laslo: “Tucked inside the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act), what do you make of the psilocybin measures dealing with PTSD?”
AOC: “Pardon?”
Laslo: “What do you make of these psychedelic measures passing?”
ICYMI — Coverage from friends of Ask a Pol…
AOC: “Well, you know, I’ve been introducing and supportive of psilocybin measures — and everything from allowing the study to de-scheduling — in the NDAA for my entire time in Congress.”
Laslo: “You and Matt Gaetz!”
AOC: “Yeah. No, it’s true.”
Laslo: “Yeah.”
“This place has too many boomers.”
— Matt Gaetz (2021)
AOC: “It’s true. And one of the things that’s so important about the promise of psilocybin specifically is that it is one of the only substances that has shown early promise in treatment-resistant PTSD. And so there are so many people that have tried every single path available to them in order to get the health care that they need, and they have not been able to access that.”
A group of visitors snag AOC for a photo on the steps of the US Capitol.
AOC: “So we’re, I’m very...”
Reporter II: “Congresswoman, what do you make of…?”
The Congresswoman gets pulled away from the press corps (if momentarily…).
Let us know what to ask Congress next!
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Ask a Pol’s playing around with as many new AI tools as we can, so this small, unfunded startup can compete in today’s new media landscape. (generative) AI isn’t tomorrow’s tech — it’s yesterday’s…
