The “Green New Deal,” a 16-page resolution calling on Congress to tackle climate change by eliminating fossil fuels, has gained nearly two dozen sponsors since freshman star Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez introduced it on Feb. 7.
But the proposal makes many House Democrats uneasy and Democratic leaders have acknowledged it may never get a vote.
“I can’t say we are going to take that and pass it,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who once called the resolution a “green dream,” told a Howard University audience Wednesday.
House Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., a co-sponsor and ardent supporter of the “Green New Deal,” said other legislation to address climate change may end up on the floor instead of the “Green New Deal.” The proposal does not include specific ways to lower carbon emission, but rather sets ambitious but nonbinding goals that also include universal healthcare and guaranteed jobs.
“We are interested in getting things done,” McGovern told the Washington Examiner. “And this in many respects is kind of an aspirational document and these are the goals. The question is, when would be the appropriate time to have this discussion in committee and on the floor?”
Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., introduced the resolution alongside Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., outside the Capitol on Feb. 7.
The proposal drew immediate skepticism from some Democrats thanks to an accompanying “frequently asked questions” page that suggested the “Green New Deal” would require eliminating airplane travel and cows and would provide healthcare and jobs for all, as well as incomes to people who are simply unwilling to work. The page was retracted by Ocasio-Cortez, but the backlash from it, as well as the terms of the resolution itself, have left many Democrats unwilling to sign on to it.
[Related: AOC backs out from defending Green New Deal, citing Michael Cohen]
The resolution calls for achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emission and providing higher education, high-quality healthcare, and affordable, safe, and adequate housing to all.
“It’s a very utopian vision for the country,” House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, D-Ky., who is not a co-sponsor, told the Washington Examiner. “I doubt many Democrats wouldn’t think it would be wonderful. But most Democrats are looking at is as what, realistically, can we hope to achieve? Is the best approach to climate change really to get it muddled with other issues, like guaranteed income?”
A conservative advocacy group earlier this week released an analysis of the “Green New Deal” and said implementing the blueprint could cost up to $93 trillion, or $600,000 per household.
Markey criticized the analysis and accused the authors of using inflated numbers and incorrect assumptions. McGovern said “Green New Deal” advocates are pushing back against the criticism.
“We are in the process of getting co-sponsors and correcting some of the misinformation that has been put out there,” McGovern said.
As of Wednesday, 89 Democrats have signed onto the “Green New Deal” resolution, an increase of 22 lawmakers since the day it was introduced.
[Also read: ‘Green New Deal’ gains co-sponsors, but no vote in sight]
But that’s not even half the number of House Democrats, and Pelosi, the top Democrat who happens to control the floor schedule, isn’t likely to add her name.
Pelosi, in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine this week, suggested the resolution stands little chance of getting a vote. She has tasked various House committees to work together on legislation that will aim to curb climate change.
The “Green New Deal,” Pelosi told the magazine, “goes beyond what our charge is,” because it promises single-payer healthcare, guaranteed income, and jobs for everyone.
She added, “It’s kind of, like, a broader agenda. All good values, but nonetheless, not what we hope to achieve with this focused, determined, decision-making.”
Senate Republicans are eager to cash in politically on the the “Green New Deal” criticism. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., promised a vote on the resolution by August in order to force a slate of Democratic senators who are running for president to go on the record with their support.
A group of House Republicans sent Pelosi a letter Wednesday calling on her to also bring up the resolution for a vote.
“This specific piece of legislation has gotten a lot of attention recently and our constituents deserve to know where our representatives stand on it,” Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and 19 other Republicans wrote to Pelosi.
Drew Hammill, who serves as Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, said the “Green New Deal” resolution has been referred to the appropriate committees, which is common practice with all legislation.
“We understand that House Republicans may be unfamiliar with the concept of regular order as they are with the reality of the climate crisis,” Hammill said.
The resolution is so broad it was referred to 10 different committees. None has scheduled a hearing or markup of the resolution yet.
McGovern told the Washington Examiner the public expects Congress to act on something to address climate change concerns, even if it is not the Ocasio-Cortez proposal.
“Whether we do this, or some other vehicle, we need to address the issue of climate change,” McGovern said. “It was a big issue last year in the campaign, and if we go through two years and don’t do anything on climate change, people in general, not just our base, will be very disappointed.”
[Related: Carbon tax proponents see the ‘Green New Deal’ as a blow to their cause]
