"Let's make a deal," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. "You're on," agreed Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
The two lawmakers who have often been at odds found common ground in a place that often highlights polarizing opinions: Twitter. That's where Cruz and Ocasio-Cortez vowed to set aside their differences and work on new lobbying restrictions for lawmakers. Now an unlikely coalition is forming around their joint effort.
It started when Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Thursday morning that members of Congress shouldn't be allowed to become corporate lobbyists.
"At minimum there should be a long wait period," she wrote. Ocasio-Cortez cited a statistic from Public Citizen, in which the advocacy group reported that among former Congress members who move to jobs outside of politics, nearly 60% start lobbying or otherwise influencing federal policy.
It didn't take long for Cruz to chime in.
"Here's something I don't say often: on this point, I AGREE" with Ocasio-Cortez, Cruz stated. He went on to say that he has long called for a lifetime ban on former members of Congress becoming lobbyists.
"The Swamp would hate it, but perhaps a chance for some bipartisan cooperation?" he asked.
By early afternoon, Ocasio-Cortez said she would co-lead a bill with Cruz — if there were no "partisan snuck-in clauses, no poison pills."
Cruz, who has previously argued with the freshman Democrat on Twitter, agreed.
At least one politician from each side of the aisle came forward to support the pact: Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, tweeted, "IN," and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, offered to lead or co-sponsor a bill in the House.
Craig Holman, who lobbies on ethics, campaign finance and lobbying on behalf of Public Citizen, told NPR that it is "heartening" that Cruz and Ocasio-Cortez moved to bridge the deep partisan divide.
"I am not sure if Congress will be willing to adopt their proposed lifetime ban," Holman said in an email. He added, "but the sheer fact of a left-and-right agreement that the revolving door is a grave problem that must be addressed is going to move the ball forward."
Jodi