

Heartland Institute president James Taylor insisted the THRIVE Agenda's carbon-free electric grid objective was impractical, and only would benefit China and other U.S. Sam Graves, R.-Mo., said the package "needs to be a transportation bill, not a Green New Deal." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R.-Ky., warned that Biden's proposal "may actually be a Trojan horse for massive tax hikes and other job-killing left-wing policies." University of Massachusetts Amherst economist Robert Pollin, who helped craft the THRIVE Agenda, told the Washington Post the Biden package's $3 to $4 trillion price tag is "skirting on the edge of being inadequate" to meet left-wing climate goals.īeefing up the infrastructure plan with climate-related spending would help satisfy progressives, but also alienate Republicans already complaining about the package’s price tag. As a congresswoman in September, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland introduced a version of the THRIVE Agenda, and several current White House staffers previously worked closely with the groups pressuring Biden to adopt the proposal.ĭespite getting the support of many environmentalists, THRIVE doesn't go far enough for others. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., sponsored a Green New Deal early in 2019 but the legislation stalled in the Senate.īut now the Senate is evenly split among party lines, there's a Democrat vice president who casts the tie-breaking vote, and a president more friendly toward major environmental reform.īiden was expected to announce his infrastructure bill details, including record spending on climate change, on Wednesday.Īlthough Biden did not formally support the Green New Deal during his campaign, members of the administration have been strong backers of environmental reform.

THRIVE's price tag would be more than five times as much as Democrats' COVID-19 relief plan.
#Thrive agenda full#
Markey’s proposal - the full name of which is the Transform, Heal, and Renew by Investing in a Vibrant Economy Agenda - calls for $10 trillion in public spending to achieve "real full employment" and "reshape our society" through government jobs.īiden's entire infrastructure bill reportedly will cost $2.25 trillion. THRIVE contains idealistic climate goals, including a carbon-free electric grid by 2035. Ed Markey, D.-Mass., who called on Biden to include the proposal in any future economic plan. THRIVE was introduced in February by Sen.

#Thrive agenda free#
The Green New Deal Network – a group of 15 national climate organizations – is pressuring Biden to "incorporate the entirety of the THRIVE Agenda" into his infrastructure package, The Washington Free Beacon reported on Wednesday. Progressive lawmakers and environmentalists have reportedly urged President Joe Biden to use the coming infrastructure package to finance parts of their radical Green New Deal.
