Political Quotes

“Madam President, I rise to join my colleagues in calling for legislation to resolve the climate crisis. The need for action could not be more urgent. Every day of inaction in the U.S. Senate brings new risks of irreversible harm to our communities, our environment and future generations. Unfortunately, this week's vote is not really about climate change. The Senate has been asked to invoke cloture on a nonbinding resolution that raises but does not really answer a broad range of questions about climate change and our economy. The Senate is not ready to end debate on these issues. We have hardly begun. The Democratic Caucus is united in recognizing the realities of climate change and calling for effective solutions. However, this constitutes a minority view in the U.S. Senate. For too many years, our calls for comprehensive climate change legislation have fallen on deaf ears. The Green New Deal in all of its ambition and breadth should be recognized as a sign of the frustration that is mounting in this country as a result of Republican obstruction. I do not agree with every aspect of this particular resolution. It addresses not only climate policy but also longstanding partisan disputes over healthcare, housing, jobs, and other economic policies. These are important policy debates, but it is my view that the legislative effort to address climate change does not need to wait for agreement in these other areas. The need for action is too urgent.…”