The freshmen class of the 116th Congress has been making headlines long before their swearing-in ceremony. Their first order of business upon entering Congress is addressing the major, dier issues we are currently facing as a country, and worldwide. Specifically, they are currently making a push towards a Green New Deal.
The Green New Deal is an environmental protection and job plan to guarantee employment gains while effectively minimizing the contribution of the United States to climate change. The deal is especially popular with the Democratic party, especially since a report was released in December 2018 stating that the world has essentially ten years to dramatically change the course we are heading if we want to save our planet. If we do not update our policies to combat climate change immediately, we could see a crisis as early as 2040 with potential food shortages, wildfires, and the death of our world’s coral reefs if our planet’s temperature continues to rise.
While the deal is unlikely to pass through a Republican-held Senate and a Republican president, the coalition of progressives is hoping to use the deal as a basis for their 2020 Democratic agenda. They are looking to introduce a 70% marginal tax rate for income levels higher than $10 million each year. This tax, they say, will effectively fund the deal while making a minimal impact on most of the country, as every-day American’s will likely never face such a tax. The plan is to hold the billionaire’s responsible for effectively triggering climate change accountable for helping to fix and fund the problem.
Of course, the deal has a long way to go before it could possibly be in effect, a problem many Americans who fully acknowledge the scientific effects of climate change find frustrating. However, it also brings the country hope that, even though we may not have much time, we do have the power to elect lawmakers who see this urgency and are ready to do whatever necessary to combat climate change.