Lauren Maunus, Sunrise Movement addresses the crowd at the Capitol.
In landmark press conference, Congressional support for Green New Deal reaches critical mass
At least 18 representatives and over 100 organizations support Ocasio-Cortez’s plan to transform the economy away from fossil fuels and create millions of good jobs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 30, 2018
Livestream link HERE
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Rep-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and eight other members of Congress held a press conference on Capitol Hill with members of the youth-led Sunrise Movement calling for the new Congress to back a Select Committee on a Green New Deal. New members announced their support, including Reps. Jackie Speier (CA), Tulsi Gabbard (HI), & Mike Levin (CA), bringing the total number of representatives who support the resolution to 18.
Representatives and Sunrise Movement leaders also called on supporters to converge on Washington DC on December 10th to call on key Democratic Leaders to support the Green New Deal.
“Tens of thousands of young people have rushed to join our movement since Ocasio-Cortez proposed the Select Committee on a Green New Deal. The enthusiasm from young voters is clear: Pelosi and the Democratic leadership must put the Green New Deal at the top of the agenda for the new Congress in January,” said Varshini Prakash Co-Founder and spokesperson for Sunrise Movement. “It’s time for all Members of Congress with a conscience to stand up to the fossil fuel billionaires who bankroll Congress and back this proposal. On December 10th we will descend on DC to tell all Democrats: There are no excuses for anything less.”
Leaders with Green for All, Labor Network for Sustainability, Center for Popular Democracy, and Public Citizen announced their support at the conference, along with 108 of the leading economic, environmental, and racial justice organizations in the country. Other notable new supporters include: Presente, CREDO, MoveOn, People’s Action, Democratic Socialists of America, Zero Hour, Working Families Party, Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy, the Hip Hop Caucus, and 350.org Action.
“My nephew and my godson has an extreme case of asthma because he lives in an area with some of the highest rates of childhood asthma in the country,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY). “When I ran I talked about how our government, our elected officials need to drink our water and breath our air because our lives are on the line. This is not just about a Green New Deal, this is about a New Deal for the United States of America. Because in every moment when our country has reached the depths of darkness, in every moment when we were at the brink, at the cusp of an abyss and we did not know if we would be capable of saving our selves, we have.”
Today’s announcement continues the seismic shift in the conversation about climate change occurring across the country since the Sunrise sit-in at Leader Pelosi’s office. Over 5,000 young people have recently taken action, visiting hundreds of Congressional offices and made thousands of calls and tweets in the past two weeks.
To close, Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI) asked the crowd, “Will you be here in 10 days? We need you. Everyone needs to hear from you.” Over 500 young people have already pledged to flood offices of important Members of Congress on December 10th to build more support for the Select Committee on a Green New Deal before Congress closes out for the year.
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Sunrise is a youth-led movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process. We’re building an army of young people to make climate change an urgent priority across America, end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and elect leaders who stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people.
