By Tommy Christopher
New York Congresswoman and Democratic media supernova Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sharply criticized Donald Trump‘s proposed task force to “counter” the scientific consensus on climate change, saying it will “cost American lives.”
At a Tuesday House Oversight Committee hearing entitled “The Need for Leadership to Combat Climate Change and Protect National Security,” AOC questioned former Secretary of State John Kerry and former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel about the threat of climate change, and about Trump’s secret task force.
“Do you think that neglecting to address these threats could contribute to the loss of American life?” Ocasio-Cortez asked Hagel.
“Yes,” he responded.
“And do you think that denial, or even delaying in that action could cost us American lives?” she asked, to which Hagel replied “Yes.”
“Secretary Kerry, do you think that appointing a federal panel that questions 26 years of established climate science could be responsible for the loss of American life?” she asked Kerry.
“It could be,” Kerry replied.
“So, I think what we have laid out here is a very clear moral problem,” AOC continued. “And in terms of leadership, if we fail to act, or even if we delay an acting, we will have blood on our hands.”
“I don’t know if you’re allowed to agree with that, Secretary Kerry or Secretary Hagel… Would you agree with that assessment?” she asked.
“So as long as we do nothing, Congresswoman, we are complicit, in our acts of omission and commission — of what we’re doing to choose for our energy and etc — we are going to contribute to people dying, we’re going to contribute to trillions of dollars in damage of property, and we will change the face of life on this planet,” Kerry said.
Ocasio-Cortez also called out Republican critics of the Green New Deal, saying she is “incredibly flattered that the ranking member and many members across the aisle seem to be so enamored with a non-binding resolution presented by a freshman congresswoman sworn in 3 months ago,” but that “despite that fixation, it doesn’t seem that they’ve actually read the contents of” the resolution.
“I would also like to highlight that it is not responsible to complain about anything that we dislike as ‘socialism,’ particularly when many of our colleagues across the aisle are more than happy to support millions and potentially billions of dollars in government subsidies and carve outs for the oil and gas and fossil fuel industry,” she added. “So the fact that subsidies were fossil fuel corporations are somehow smart, but subsidies for solar the development of solar panels is called ‘socialist’ is just bad faith, and it’s incorrect, and I think it’s important to support and propose the fact that we need bold action.”
