Pelosi Stops Short of Endorsing 'Green New Deal,' AOC Not on House Climate Panel
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez might be the best-known face of the Demcratic Party when it comes to the “Green New Deal” energy plan, but she’s not part of the House Democratic leadership’s committee to address climage change.
And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi might not be fully on board with the radical “Green New Deal” proposal anyway.
Speaking Thursday shortly before Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats were due to unveil their legislation regarding energy production and jobs, Pelosi said, “I welcome the new deal and any other proposals.”
However, in an interview with Politico on Wednesday, Pelosi appeared to be skeptical of the “Green New Deal’s” future.
“The green dream or whatever they call it, nobody knows what it is, but they’re for it right?” she said.
Chris Cilizza, CNN’s editor-at-large, took that to be a dismissal by the House speaker.
“Pelosi knows exactly what she’s doing here. Her utter dismissiveness of the ‘Green New Deal’ — and, by extension, AOC, who is the member most closely identified with it, is entirely intentional,” he wrote on Thursday.
“Pelosi knows that AOC is a rising national power — particularly among the most activist and liberal left. Given Ocasio-Cortez’s profile — and her influence among young, liberal members — Pelosi knows she can’t just ignore what the New York Democrat says and does. But she isn’t going to kowtow to AOC either.
“Earlier this year, Ocasio-Cortez was passed over for a spot on the powerful Ways and Means Committee despite the fact that Joe Crowley, who she beat in a primary last summer, had a seat on Ways and Means. That decision didn’t come by accident — and it didn’t come without Pelosi knowing about it and likely directing it.”
Pelosi on Thursday announced the members of a special committee to deal with the issue, but the New York freshman isn’t among them.
“This new Select Committee will spearhead Democrats’ work to develop innovative, effective solutions to prevent and reverse the climate crisis,” Pelosi said in a statement, according to the Washington Examiner.
“It will generate the energy and action required to permanently reduce pollution so that we can honor our responsibility to be good stewards of the planet for future generations.”
Reps. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, Joe Neguse of Colorado, Donald McEachin of Virginia and Sean Casten of Illinois will serve on the panel, along with three Californians: Julia Brownley, Jared Huffman and Mike Levin.
The panel will be chaired by Rep. Kathy Castor of Florida, who was chosen in December.
It wasn’t clear why Ocasio-Cortez was not a member of the climate change panel, considering her vocal stance on the subject, but the Examiner reported that Pelosi said Ocasio-Cortez had declined an appointment. At her own news conference on Thursday, according to The Washington Post, Ocasio-Cortez also said she was asked to join but chose not to.
Pelosi said the new panel, which also will include six Republicans, “will be vital in advancing ambitious progress for our planet.”
Meanwhile, Ocasio-Cortez is teaming up with Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts to introduce a joint resolution that sets a goal to meet all power demand in the U.S. through clean, renewable and zero-emission energy sources by 2030.
Use of wind and solar power would be dramatically increased under the plan.
The “Green New Deal” goes far beyond the Clean Power Plan proposed by President Barack Obama.
President Donald Trump has scrapped Obama’s plan. Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate are likely to oppose this one, too.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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