Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., on Monday, August 24, 2020. Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images/Pool What some once predicted would be a pandemic"baby boom" is actually turning out to be a "baby bust." But AOC said the real culprit behind the crisis is the numerous hardships facing "entire generations." Experts agree and say the 2020 fall is part of a larger, ongoing decline in birth rates.