Democrats’ Green New Deal: ‘A Raw Deal For America’
Republican Senators On The Green New Deal: ‘A Dangerous, Unachievable And Unaffordable Manifesto For Government Control Over Every Part Of The Economy And Our Lives’
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): “Despite its lofty goals and pleasant-enough name, the Green New Deal is really a dangerous, unachievable and unaffordable manifesto for government control over every part of the economy and our lives…. So when I call up the Green New Deal for consideration in the Senate, I will proudly vote no in defense of Kentucky’s families. There is important work to be done to protect our environment, but a socialist takeover of our economy won’t help.” (Sen. McConnell, Op-Ed, “Democrats' Radical Green New Deal Would Uproot Our Lives,” The [Louisville] Courier-Journal, 3/04/2019)
SEN. JOHN BARRASSO (R-WY), Senate Environment & Public Works Committee Chairman: “We have a strong and healthy and growing economy. And the Green New Deal would take it over the cliff in terms of massive spending, massive loss of jobs, and a massive increase in taxes. Even if it were to pass, it will not achieve what they want to achieve.” (Sen. Barrasso, Press Conference, 3/12/2019)
SEN. JONI ERNST (R-IA): “The truth is that this proposal is a raw deal for America, especially our rural communities…. The ideas presented in the Green New Deal used to garner support only from the furthest fringes of the political left--the furthest fringes. Concepts like rebuilding every building in the country, outlawing fossil fuels, and guaranteed jobs would never have made their way into mainstream discourse just a few years ago. Now our Democratic colleagues are trying to make them mainstream…. If you work in a part of the energy industry that has fallen out of favor, your job has no place in the country. That is what is envisioned by the Democrats.” (Sen. Ernst, Congressional Record, S. 1682, 3/06/2019)
SEN. JOHN THUNE (R-SD): “[O]ne think tank released a first estimate of what the Green New Deal would cost. Here is the answer: between $51 trillion and $93 trillion over 10 years….That is an unfathomable amount of money. The 2017 gross domestic product for the entire world, for the whole planet, came to $80.7 trillion--more than $10 trillion less than what Democrats are proposing to spend on the Green New Deal. Mr. President, $93 trillion is more than the amount of money the U.S. Government has spent in its entire history. Since 1789, when the Constitution went into effect, the Federal Government has spent a total of $83.2 trillion.” (Sen. Thune, Congressional Record, S. 1673, 3/06/2019)
SEN. ROY BLUNT (R-MO): “[W]e had a lot of discussion about the energy parts of the Green New Deal … I would say on the energy costs … one thing we need to remember on the energy costs is that families pay those utility bills. We just avoided a clean power regulation that in my state would have doubled the utility bill in 10 or 12 years. During the 3 years or so we were debating that … I kept reminding the people I work for, the next time you write your utility bill, just write out your check one more time, because if this goes into effect, within a decade, that is what you will be doing.” (Sen. Blunt, Congressional Record, S. 1686, 3/06/2019)
SEN. CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-IA): “To put it mildly, the Green New Deal is ambitious. To frame it more accurately, it is an unworkable, pie-in-the-sky attempt to reshape every aspect of everyday Americans' lives…. It would be one thing if the policy and goals remained on topic … Yet the resolution reads like a utopian manifesto that seeks to implement every liberal policy priority from the past many decades.” (Sen. Grassley, Congressional Record, S. 1680-81, 3/06/2019)
SEN. JOHN CORNYN (R-TX): “The Green New Deal is not the answer to our problems. It is a solution in search of a problem, and it is a naked power grab by Washington, DC, seeking to impose on each and every American how we should run our lives.” (Sen. Cornyn, Congressional Record, S. 1684, 3/06/2019)
SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-FL): “The Green New Deal might have been a successful publicity stunt, but it is a fundamentally unserious choice. If actually implemented, it would bankrupt our nation and leave our communities more vulnerable. That cannot and will not be the future of America.” (Sen. Rubio, Op-Ed, “Green New Deal Litmus Test Makes It Harder To Deal With Climate Change,” USA Today, 3/25/2019)
SEN. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (R-WV): “We knew it was going to be expensive. We knew the goal was to eliminate coal and gas industries, along with a lot of other good-paying jobs that they support in energy States like mine. This isn't the first salvo in the war on coal, for sure. We knew all the economic harm they would be proposing, but this is a massive shift to the left that goes far beyond anything the Democrats have proposed before. This plan doesn't stop at eliminating the use of coal and natural gas for electricity…. We will be left with possibly an energy grid that lacks affordability and reliability to make the American manufacturers competitive around the globe and meet the basic needs of our families.” (Sen. Capito, Congressional Record, S. 1686, 3/06/2019)
SEN. TODD YOUNG (R-IN): “Agriculture is a main driver of our State's economy. It is often said that Indiana feeds the world, and we take a lot of pride in that. We need our ag community to continue thriving. Yet the sponsors of this Green New Deal have spoken about cutting back on the farming practices that employ Hoosiers and put food on the table. Imagine the crushing cost to Hoosier farmers of changing out all farm equipment for electric vehicles or the cost of upgrading every single building on every farm in Indiana. This is on top of the sharp climb in energy prices that we would see under the Green New Deal.” (Sen. Young, Congressional Record, S. 1824, 3/13/2019)
SEN. STEVE DAINES (R-MT): “[I]n Montana, we rely on a diverse portfolio of energy and fuel sources to help grow our economy, to create good-paying jobs, and to preserve our Montana way of life…. We need our ag production. We need clean coal. We need sustainable timber production. These are all part of our Montana way of life. They are all important to the great State heritage we have. This Green New Deal would uproot all of that.” (Sen. Daines, Congressional Record, S. 1816, 3/13/2019)
SEN. RICK SCOTT (R-FL): “[W]hen it comes to bankrupting our country, the Green New Deal puts all other ideas to shame. It calls for rebuilding or retrofitting every building in America in the next 10 years, eliminating all fossil fuels in 10 years … This Green New Deal is not a serious policy idea; it is a unicorn.” (Sen. Scott, Congressional Record, S. 1823, 3/13/2019)
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SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
Related Issues: Green New Deal, Jobs, Energy
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