McConnell to Get Dems on Record About Whether They Support Green New Deal

Senate Democrats will have to take a side on the proposed Green New Deal, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) announced Tuesday. Speaking with reporters in the Capitol about the budget and upcoming Senate legislation, McConnell confirmed the resolution, which was introduced last week, would come before the Senate. "I've noted with great interest the Green New Deal, and we're going to be voting on that in the Senate," he said. "We'll give everyone an opportunity to go on record and see how they feel about the Green New Deal." The Green New Deal, an economic stimulus plan in the style of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's expansive New Deal, aims to fight income inequality and climate change by fundamentally changing the nation's energy sources, infrastructure, and welfare. Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and veteran Sen. Ed Marky (D., Mass.) introduced the resolution with a turbulent rollout last Thursday. The idea is not new. It received prominent support from Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein in 2012 and 2016. Now, however, at least 15 congressional Democrats are supporting the legislation, moving the fringe idea closer to the mainstream. The plan involves trillions of dollars in unfunded spending. A supplemental document initially released in conjunction with the 14-page resolution suggested Congress would conjure the funds for it by creating new banks and borrowing. "The Federal Reserve can extend credit to power these projects and investments and new public banks can be created to extend credit," it said. The document was later deleted on Ocasio-Cortez's website, and an advisor went so far as to suggest the document was "doctored."...MORE