Green New Deal Lands In The Capitol

(Politico) ZACK COLMAN 02/07/2019 06:18 AM Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) released a blueprint for a Green New Deal on Thursday urging a 10-year national mobilization for a speedy shift away from fossil fuels and calling for national health care coverage and job guarantees in a sweeping bid to remake the U.S. economy. The burgeoning left-wing faction within the Democratic Party quickly persuaded several 2020 White House contenders to sign onto the Green New Deals tenets in a bid to push climate change and the broad economic platform up the ladder of party priorities. Declared candidates Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) are all co-sponsoring the resolution as are likely contenders Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) according to their offices. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is also on board saying in a tweet that she is proud to join the fight for our planet and our kids futures. The 14-page non-binding resolution from Ocasio-Cortez and Markey is an attempt to add substance to the proposals that have fired up a wave of new activists who are planning to barnstorm lawmakers offices in the Capitol in the coming days and to set an agenda for the Democrats in the 2020 election.