AOC's housing agenda under fire after NYC hotel rates jump 12%

"Has housing become abundant and affordable in Gotham?" the Post continued. "Of course not, but taking thousands of units off the market has made it a lot harder to find a reasonably priced hotel. Room rates have risen 12.6 percent since the law took effect, compared to 3.6 percent nationwide."

Ocasio-Cortez argued the short-term rental giant has expanded by benefiting from housing shortages and displacement in communities across the United States.

Ocasio-Cortez rejected Graham's argument, saying rapid corporate growth often depends on accumulating political and market power.

"Someone can certainly make a billion dollars. That's not the same thing as earning," Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

"Growing fast and disrupting markets also often means chasing and wielding market power, political influence, and scale."

AOC argued younger Americans are increasingly locked out of homeownership because of investor activity and rising housing costs.

"Now young people are planning for a future where they will never be able to afford to own a home while others have 20 and live off renting it out to them at extortionate rates with zero protections," Ocasio-Cortez said.

"Yes, a tiny amount of people can make billions of dollars doing that. And millions of everyday Americans are bearing the cost."

The exchange sparked criticism from investors and tech executives who defended Airbnb hosts and the broader startup economy. Michael Seibel, a partner at Y Combinator, argued many Airbnb users are ordinary homeowners attempting to supplement their income.

"The housing in Airbnb isn't controlled by some 'evil public corporation' - it's controlled by normal citizens trying to pay their bills," Seibel said.

"It's not about individual morality," Ocasio-Cortez said. "It's about exploiting the landscape."

Seibel later pushed back again, questioning whether users themselves bear responsibility for Airbnb's growth and success.

"Why are you ignoring the users of companies?" Seibel said. "Airbnb cannot survive without its users. Are they exploiting the landscape?"

"Last year, the typical U.S. host on Airbnb made $16,000 for opening up their home for a few days a year," Marr said. "At a time of rising costs, that money is a lifeline."

"The idea that Airbnb causes the housing crisis is wrong," Marr said. "In the more than two years since NYC all but banned Airbnb, rent has gone up 8.1% - above the national average - while vacancies have gone down."

Fox News Digital reached out to and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.