Tag: U.S. House Democrats

Democrats unveil Green New Deal that would push government to make radical changes

The resolution would force lawmakers to take a position on the deal, and its goals of remaking the U.S. economy within a decade

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez listens as Sen. Ed Markey speaks as Democrats announce their Green New Deal resolution outside of the Capitol on Thursday. Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call

A resolution outlining the goals of an ambitious progressive plan to overhaul the U.S. economy across all sectors, from finance to energy to social services, was rolled out Thursday with the aim of driving future legislation.

The Green New Deal resolution sponsored in the House by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and in the Senate by Massachusetts Democrat Edward J. Markey cites urgent warnings in two recent major climate reports to compel the federal government to act urgently on the radical changes they say would make the U.S. resilient and sustainable across all sectors.

In an October report, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that unless urgent and drastic action is taken, global temperatures could rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) between 2030 and 2052, which could have catastrophic repercussions for the economy, the environment, humans and wildlife.

View the complete February 7 article by Elvina Nawaguna on The Roll Call website here.

New Democrats launch task forces to help craft the House majority’s policy agenda

Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., will co-chair the New Democrat Coalition’s health care task force, one of eight policy-focused work groups the centrist Democrats have launched this week. Credit: Bill Clark, CQ Roll Call file photo

Task forces focus on issue areas like health care, infrastructure, climate change, national security, trade and technology

The New Democrat Coalition is ready to help the House majority craft its policy agenda for the 116th Congress, launching eight issue-focused task forces to develop proposals on party priorities such as health care, infrastructure and climate change.

The group of centrist Democrats has used task forces to develop policy proposals in past Congresses, but they’re particularly excited about the work the task forces will do this session now that their party is in the majority.

With 101 coalition members, the New Democrats are the largest ideological group within the 240-member House Democratic Caucus. Through its eight task forces, the group is planning to play an active role in developing the policy agenda the party pursues over the next two years.

View the complete February 1 article by Lidsey McPherson on The Roll Call website here.