By John Hugh DeMastri
Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts will reintroduce their sweeping climate resolution, the Green New Deal, on Thursday, The Washington Post reported.
The Green New Deal was originally introduced in 2019, receiving criticism from conservatives — and even some Democrats — as unrealistic and expensive, and sought to mobilize the U.S. “on a scale not seen since World War 2” in a bid to implement climate policies. Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, alongside Markey, will also introduce a Green New Deal for Health, which would provide $100 billion in federal funds to medical facilities that will cut emissions and focus on climate change, according to the Post.
“It’s time for a whole-of-government, whole-of-health to the urgent crises facing our nation,” said Markey in a tweet announcing the healthcare proposal Thursday. “And that means, very simply, empowering community health providers, and getting funds to environmental justice communities that have borne the worst burden and need it the most. Strengthening our health so that it’s resilient and facilitating a shift to clean energy so that we won’t exacerbate the disease while we try to treat it.”
Ocasio-Cortez and Markey are reintroducing the Green New Deal in part to keep the pressure on Democrats to implement President Biden’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), in a way consistent with the Green New Deal’s objectives, according to the Post. While the resolution will be dead-on-arrival in the Republican controlled House, the pair will also introduce an “Implementation Guide” at a press conference Thursday to offer guidance to states, tribes and local governments on how to utilize funds from the IRA and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The programs outlined within both laws “must be explicitly designed and implemented” with the Green New Deal’s principles at their center, or risk worsening climate change and inequality, the Post reported, citing a copy of the implementation guide. These principles include “creating good-paying jobs, promoting justice and equity, and acting on climate with the urgency and scope demanded by the science.”
The offices of Ocasio-Cortez and Markey did not immediately respond to a Daily Caller News Foundation request for comment.
John Hugh DeMastri is a contributor at The Daily Caller.
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To read more about the Green New Deal, click here.
To read about other climate initiatives, click here.
