Ocasio-Cortez Wants Trillions Of Dollars For What?
Have these Democrats lost their minds?
Several Democratic legislators have reintroduced the Green New Deal, a comprehensive legislative proposal that aims to eliminate fossil fuel production and could potentially incur costs amounting to tens of trillions of dollars for taxpayers.
According to Fox, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts are leading the Democratic party in introducing legislation aimed at addressing the climate crisis. If passed, the legislation would initiate a 10-year mobilization plan that would create several million high-paying, union jobs. The Democrats also assert that the bill would enhance the United States’ infrastructure and curb pollution.
Ocasio-Cortez mentioned that the initial proposal for the Green New Deal was deemed overly ambitious. However, after four years, they have observed that key principles of the Green New Deal are integrated into the Inflation Reduction Act, which is the most significant federal investment towards mitigating climate change. The bill primarily emphasizes the creation of sustainable employment opportunities.
Ocasio-Cortez acknowledges that there is still much work to be done in establishing environmental justice as the focal point of U.S. climate policy. She expressed that the reintroduction of the Green New Deal is the initial phase of this process, aimed at expanding and strengthening the coalition while laying down the policy framework for upcoming battles.
Back in February 2019, Ocasio-Cortez and Markey initially proposed the Green New Deal resolution. Climate activists and environmental organizations had urged Congress to pass forceful policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions, leading to the introduction of this bill. Apart from other Democrats, the bill has garnered support from a vast array of left-leaning environmental and labor organizations.
Despite being just 14 pages long and lacking specific details on how it would achieve its ambitious goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the Green New Deal legislation would effectively put an end to fossil fuel extraction and incorporate significant investments in green energy alternatives.
According to an analysis published by the American Action Forum soon after the Green New Deal resolution was introduced, its provisions were estimated to cost up to $92.9 trillion.
