Watchdog Group Calls for Investigation Into AOC’s Alleged Misuse of Taxpayer Funds
A prominent government watchdog group is demanding an investigation into Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) over concerns that she may have improperly spent taxpayer money.
BREAKING: Americans for Public Trust files an ethics complaint against AOC, questioning “troubling expenses” from her congressional funds.
Alleged violations include payments for “training.” AOC denies wrongdoing, but the Office of Congressional Ethics will review the claims. pic.twitter.com/lFwDXyz284
— Resist the Mainstream (@ResisttheMS) March 11, 2025
The call for scrutiny comes after financial records revealed questionable expenses from the congresswoman’s taxpayer-funded budget, raising alarms about potential violations of federal law and House ethics rules.
On Tuesday, Americans for Public Trust, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on government accountability, sent a letter to the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), Fox News reports. The letter cited “several troubling expenses” from Ocasio-Cortez’s Member Representational Allowance (MRA), which is designated strictly for official congressional duties.
The group alleges that some of these funds may have been misused for campaign-related activities, which is prohibited under federal law and House regulations.
The demand for an investigation follows a report by social media user Paul A. Szypula, who reviewed Ocasio-Cortez’s financial disclosures and shared his findings on X, as TTOA reported yesterday. His analysis pointed to two specific payments that have drawn scrutiny: $3,700 to “Juan D Gonzalez” and $850 to “Bombazo Dance Co Inc.”
.@AOC has now been hit with an ethics complaint related to her wasting our tax dollars on dance and drum lessons.
AOC also has people on her congressional payroll who illegally entered the US. That needs to be investigated too.
Additionally, AOC has illegals on her campaign… https://t.co/bZgpi20RbP pic.twitter.com/kgfxbd9C3Q
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) March 11, 2025
Both payments were listed as being used for “training,” a designation that watchdog groups argue warrants further examination. Congressional rules allow lawmakers to use their MRA for professional training that directly relates to their official duties. However, Americans for Public Trust suggests these expenditures may not meet that requirement, potentially violating House spending rules.
Ocasio-Cortez responded to the allegations on social media, rejecting claims that she misused government funds.
“100% wrong. None of this is taxpayer money, this is an FEC filing,” she wrote on X.
“Be loud and wrong about something else. Try again next time.”
.@AOC got dance lessons on 12/13/2024 from Bombazo Dance Co Inc and made the US taxpayer cover the $850 bill for that “training.”
On the same day there was $3,700 paid to Juan D Gonzalez for more “training.”
Earlier, on 9/18/24, AOC spent $3,384.74 for food at Taco Bamba… pic.twitter.com/RPPVrQhJxR
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) March 8, 2025
However, Americans for Public Trust refuted her claim, asserting that the payments in question came from her MRA, not her campaign funds. In its letter to OCE, the group argued that Ocasio-Cortez either does not understand the difference between her congressional budget and campaign finances or is deliberately misrepresenting the nature of these expenses.
Caitlin Sutherland, executive director of Americans for Public Trust, emphasized the need for accountability.
“Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s troubling payments from her taxpayer funded account for activities such as dance classes should be investigated,” she said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “In the era of reining in government spending, the American people deserve to know lawmakers are being good stewards of their tax dollars.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for comment, but no response has been reported.
This is not the first time Ocasio-Cortez has faced scrutiny over ethical concerns. In 2023, the Heritage Foundation filed an ethics complaint against her, accusing her of “falsely accusing” and “defaming” Chaya Raichik, the creator of the Libs of TikTok account, according to Fox News.
Additionally, the congresswoman was investigated in 2023 for allegedly accepting “impermissible gifts” related to her attendance at the 2021 Met Gala. The probe examined whether she violated House ethics rules by accepting designer clothing and other benefits that could be considered gifts from prohibited sources.
The Office of Congressional Ethics has not yet announced whether it will move forward with a formal investigation into the latest allegations.
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