Congresswoman Lee Joins Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Markey in Reintroducing Green New Deal Resolution
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13) today joined Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey in reintroducing the Green New Deal Resolution (GND). A copy of the resolution can be found HERE.
The Green New Deal resolution envisions a 10-year national mobilization, akin to FDR’s New Deal, that would put millions to work in good-paying, union jobs repairing the nation’s infrastructure, reducing air and water pollution, and fighting the intertwined economic, social, racial and climate crises crippling the country.
In the two years since the Green New Deal was first introduced, lawmakers in both chambers of Congress have continued to introduce more than a dozen pieces of legislation across multiple sectors of the economy that build upon the principles from the resolution. Two new bills were introduced just this week: The Green New Deal for Cities and the Civilian Climate Corps.
“From the devastating wildfires in my home state of California to the snowstorms in my birthplace of Texas, there’s no denying that the climate crisis is here, and the threat to the safety and economic security of our communities is growing by the day,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee. “In order to ensure a healthy and safe future for our children and grandchildren, the federal government must invest in bold policies that address the climate emergency head on, especially in communities of color and low-income communities that have experienced generations of environmental injustice. Our solutions must match the scale of the crisis—that’s why I’m proud to support the Green New Deal.”
“The Green New Deal has three core components: jobs, justice and climate,” said Rep. Ocasio-Cortez in a statement. “The dozens of bills that have sprung from this resolution since we introduced it two years ago all contain 1) a commitment to creating good-paying union jobs; 2) prioritizing frontline and vulnerable communities disproportionately affected by climate change - including communities of color, indigenous land, deindustrialized communities and fossil fuel hubs; and 3) reducing greenhouse gas emissions from human sources by 40 to 60% within 10 years and net-zero global emissions by 2050, in line with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s finding that global temperatures must not increase more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrialized levels in order to avoid the most severe impacts of climate change.”
“The Green New Deal isn’t just a resolution, it is a revolution,” said Senator Markey in a statement. “In the past two years, the Green New Deal has become the DNA of climate action, and the principles of jobs, justice, and climate action are now widely represented in legislation and state and local actions across the country. The Green New Deal provides the framework we need to confront the intersecting crises our country faces -- climate change, a public health pandemic, racial injustice, and economic inequality. We can transform our economy and our democracy for all Americans by addressing the generational challenge of climate change. We have the technology to do it. We have the economic imperative. We have the moral obligation. We just need the political will.”
“In 2019 we made it our mission to pass a Green New Deal. Three years later, we are still facing the ticking time bomb of the climate crisis, but now alongside the highest levels of joblessness since the Great Depression,” said Varshini Prakash, Executive Director of Sunrise Movement. “We are in a civilization altering moment in our history and it’s time for America’s political leaders to muster the courage and moral clarity to pass the Green New Deal, launching America’s biggest job creation program in a century while combating climate change. At a crucial moment like this, politicians have a choice to make: they can heed the call demanded by science and justice to build back better through a Green New Deal, or they can cower to the fossil fuel industry and force us down a path of destruction, towards the fires that burned our homes to rubble and the floods that took our family and friends with them. Young people have made our choice clear – and now we demand politicians join us by passing a robust Civilian Climate Corps and ushering in the decade of the Green New Deal.”
The Green New Deal Resolution of 2021 is also endorsed by the following organizations: Association of Flight Attendants – CWA, Service Employees International Union, People's Action, Corazon Latino, CENTER FOR POPULAR DEMOCRACY, Indivisible, The Green New Deal Network, Working Families Party, Greenpeace USA, Sunrise Movement, Justice Democrats, Organic Consumers Association, Climate Justice Alliance, Future Coalition, Labor Network for Sustainability, National Domestic Workers Alliance, Common Defense, NDN Collective, United for Respect, Sierra Club, League of Conservation Voters, United We Dream, 350.org, Grassroots Global Justice Alliance and more.
Congresswoman Lee is also a cosponsor of the Green New Deal for Cities, which invests $1 trillion in funding for environmental justice projects that support the efforts of the Green New Deal.