Frustrated by the sidelining of the climate crisis in recent infrastructure negotiations between the White House and a bipartisan group of senators, House progressives have sent a letter to House leadership demanding action on the climate in the form of a Green New Deal and climate provisions in the infrastructure bill and the Democrats’ upcoming reconciliation bill.
“As the urgency to invest in public climate infrastructure and jobs intensifies each day, we urge you to work with us to deliver robust and lasting investments at a scale that directly addresses the climate crisis,” the progressives, led by Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri), wrote to House leaders Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California), Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) and Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-South Carolina), as reported by CBS.
Indeed, over just the past weeks, the U.S. has been hit with climate emergency after climate emergency. The western U.S. experienced a record heat wave and is bracing for another. “Firenados” are becoming more frequent in California and New York City’s subways are flooding before tropical storm Elsa has even hit the region. Meanwhile, the Gulf of Mexico caught on fire due to an oil spill.
Most, if not all, of these emergencies have been brought on and worsened by the climate crisis. Yet, over the past weeks, as the country was hit with overlapping and seemingly unending climate disasters, the White House accepted drastic cuts to its infrastructure plan — including measures that would address the crisis.
The letter, which was signed by progressives like Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington), as well as other member of the “squad,” calls for stronger and more immediate measures to address the climate crisis than the White House is currently proposing.
“We are very concerned that the American Jobs Plan (AJP), and more so the bipartisan compromise as it presently stands, will not reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving the climate crisis to the extent that science and justice require,” the 11 representatives wrote. “We need a jobs and infrastructure plan that meets demands laid out in the Green New Deal.”
The lawmakers, while encouraged by Democrats’ growing calls of “no climate, no deal” on the infrastructure bill, say that the White House needs to push funding for frontline communities, provisions for tribal sovereignty and labor protections. They also emphasize that strong climate provisions are vital for the upcoming reconciliation bill.
Their list of priorities for the bill include proposals like $1 trillion for developing public renewable energy with union-backed workers, $250 billion for climate justice funding, $600 billion for public transportation and electrification of the public transit sector, and money for public housing and a Civilian Climate Corps.
“Any investments we make should prioritize frontline communities, ensure respect for tribal sovereignty, and include strong labor standards and protections,” the letter read. “This is the very least we can do to avert the worst of the climate crisis. Anything less would be unacceptable and an abdication of our global responsibility.”
Progressive lawmakers have also been emphasizing the importance of immediate climate action online, taking aim at Republican and moderate arguments that action on the climate crisis is too expensive or that bipartisanship is necessary to legislate in Congress.
I’m so glad the filibuster is here to fix this oh wait https://t.co/5i7Ki0bk9b
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 8, 2021
“Firenados in northern California. Ocean fires in the Gulf of Mexico. Subway waterfalls in New York City. A heat dome in the Northwest melting power cables, killing hundreds and frying marine animals,” wrote Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) on Friday. “I have been told that combatting climate change is expensive. Compared to what?”
We’re not backing down in the face of Trump’s threats.
As Donald Trump is inaugurated a second time, independent media organizations are faced with urgent mandates: Tell the truth more loudly than ever before. Do that work even as our standard modes of distribution (such as social media platforms) are being manipulated and curtailed by forces of fascist repression and ruthless capitalism. Do that work even as journalism and journalists face targeted attacks, including from the government itself. And do that work in community, never forgetting that we’re not shouting into a faceless void – we’re reaching out to real people amid a life-threatening political climate.
Our task is formidable, and it requires us to ground ourselves in our principles, remind ourselves of our utility, dig in and commit.
As a dizzying number of corporate news organizations – either through need or greed – rush to implement new ways to further monetize their content, and others acquiesce to Trump’s wishes, now is a time for movement media-makers to double down on community-first models.
At Truthout, we are reaffirming our commitments on this front: We won’t run ads or have a paywall because we believe that everyone should have access to information, and that access should exist without barriers and free of distractions from craven corporate interests. We recognize the implications for democracy when information-seekers click a link only to find the article trapped behind a paywall or buried on a page with dozens of invasive ads. The laws of capitalism dictate an unending increase in monetization, and much of the media simply follows those laws. Truthout and many of our peers are dedicating ourselves to following other paths – a commitment which feels vital in a moment when corporations are evermore overtly embedded in government.
Over 80 percent of Truthout‘s funding comes from small individual donations from our community of readers, and the remaining 20 percent comes from a handful of social justice-oriented foundations. Over a third of our total budget is supported by recurring monthly donors, many of whom give because they want to help us keep Truthout barrier-free for everyone.
You can help by giving today. Whether you can make a small monthly donation or a larger gift, Truthout only works with your support.